TECH INTELLIGENCE: No more training wheels

No stop signs. Speed limit.

Nobody's gonna slow me down.

AC/DC, Highway to Hell

When teenagers get their learner’s permits, they are really in the game there is no going back. You add them to your auto insurance policy and take them for a spin in a location that does not have a lot of traffic.

Safety measures are in place to help him or her switch from walking to driving, since they are now in control of a heavy vehicle with a lot of horsepower. Parents and other concerned individuals are like training wheels for the teen, helping them learn the rules of the road and how to drive safely.

Initially, you provide guidance and support as they navigate the road. And of course, cops are around to enforce the rules. But think about what happens when someone gets behind a laptop or other digital device: there are no guardrails, no cyber-highway instructors to help a user a newbie or an experienced one learn the ropes.

Instead, you turn on a device and you instantly access the internet. No restrictions or limits, or protections. Trained cybersecurity experts, however, can help protect your organization from online threats. It is like having a squad from CHIPs riding shotgun with you.

This is important, because digital highwaymen are waiting to ambush you. Bad actors can buy harmful software from dishonest sellers and use it to cause problems for unsuspecting users. They will try to hijack your bank account, yank your sensitive records, and steal your identity.

You might receive an email that looks like it's from someone you trust, mentioning a recent order, referencing some activity or other transaction. You may be asked to send money or click on a harmless-looking link. Follow their instructions, though, and you will lose control of sensitive data, funds or other assets.

Size does not matter

Recently, even large organizations like Omni Hotels & Resorts and Change Healthcare were victims of cyberattacks. Omni Hotels had customer information exposed, and reservations were disrupted. Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, was targeted in February, and their systems were taken offline. This attack led to a delay in paying claims, causing financial issues for doctors and hospitals, and placing patients at risk of not receiving care. Additionally, even though UnitedHealth paid a ransom to the cyber attackers, volumes of health information were exposed on the dark web.

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Research indicates that more than 80% of data breaches can be traced back to human error. Bad people use tricky tactics, like phishing, to trick users into doing unsafe things. They know how to manipulate people.

A professional cybersecurity services provider will analyze your operations to identify people and operations at risk of attacks. They can provide phishing awareness training to protect against many potential threats and will develop a targeted and timely security awareness training program to improve employees’ Cyber Safety skills.

Awareness training helps employees recognize common signs of a phishing attempt, like fake links or suspicious sender addresses, while phishing simulations will reinforce the training. Cybersecurity experts will also periodically review your company's digital systems, searching for weaknesses with penetration testing and other methods, and assisting you in customizing AI-enabled and other security strategies to address any gaps.

Bad actors ignore all the limits when they charge onto the information superhighway. But businesses that work with trained cybersecurity professionals can avoid ending up as roadkill.

Carl Mazzanti is president of eMazzanti Technologies in Hoboken, providing IT consulting and cybersecurity services for businesses ranging from home offices to multinational corporations.

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