The coronavirus is not only a global health and economic crisis; it has now mutated to become a global security crisis. Spammers, scammers, and hackers, or "cyberscum" as one writer dubbed them, are working overtime to profit from the increased usage of the internet and the epidemic of fear.

Our office is adopting guidelines from the World Health Organization to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Below are a few of their recommendations.

Surfaces and objects need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly.
Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace.

The adage "never let a good crisis go to waste" applies to hackers everywhere. And the Coronavirus is the perfect crisis to exploit.

Sophos, one of Adept's security vendors, reports on one Coronavirus scam. They explain, "The fake page consists of the official, current home page of the World Health Organisation (WHO), with an unassuming popup form on top of it.

Being prepared for the unknown allows you to have peace of mind for your business.  I am reminded of the story about a young man who was looking for a job as a farmhand. When asked about his qualifications from the older farmer, the man said that he could sleep when the wind was blowing.

Microsoft is mandating multi-factor authentication on all Office 365 accounts. This rule comes as a result of increased hacker attacks on Cloud Solutions Providers (CSPs).

PCM, the world's 6th largest CSP, had intruders break into their company and plunder their email systems.

What is a recharge room, and why do you need one? Any space in your office that provides a time-out from work pressures can be designated as your recharge room. Game rooms, meditation/yoga rooms, and even nap rooms can all provide a break from work stress.

The world remembers Clayton Christensen as one of the most influential business management thought leaders of all time. I remember him as a college roommate and friend.

 

Clay

 

At 6’ 8” Clayton Christensen was an imposing figure.

A phishing email is being circulated that notify's the recipient of a new fax message.  When the "view message" button is clicked, the user is taken to a fake Microsoft Sign In page.

If you receive this fax notification, DO NOT SIGN IN to Microsoft.

January 14, 2020 is the end of life for Windows 7.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

No more security updates--you are on your own. Without these security patches, Windows 7 systems will become substantially more vulnerable to viruses, malware, and third-party software exploitations.

A new year is a time to reflect, set goals and make changes. The question is, how do you avoid being among the 80% who fail to keep their new year's resolutions?  Let's look at two strategies that can help you be one of the elite achievers.

Friction.