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by  | Apr 27, 2020 | 
When society’s regular routine is thrown out off-kilter, cybercriminals get right to work. Whether they are stealing your video conferencing credentials to interrupt a meeting, using those credentials to access other accounts or launching websites to phish your...
by  | Apr 20, 2020 | 
Some of us are old enough to remember the Cola Wars between Coke and Pepsi. The pandemic, work-from-home version of that is a Video Conference War. Zoom has become so widely adopted that it has become a verb but Google has now banned its use on company computers,...
by  | Apr 13, 2020 | 
Over the past few weeks, businesses have had to shift the way they work. As COVID-19 has forced offices to shift to remote work, many companies are just now starting to understand the security risks related to their online meetings. In this week’s episode of CYBER24,...
by  | Apr 6, 2020 | 
Ransomware is a growing problem for American businesses — particularly small and medium-sized businesses. In just the first nine months of 2019, there were nearly 152 million ransomware attacks. They are getting more sophisticated. Most efforts to thwart hackers rely...
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by  | Mar 30, 2020 | 
Over the past couple of weeks, a large portion of the workforce has faced a quick transition from office life to working remotely. Some organizations were well prepared to make that change, many employees had already been working remotely, but some faced significant...
by  | Mar 23, 2020 | 
Over the past week, national leaders have asked businesses to allow employees to work from home and Utah added a big earthquake to the mix.  For leaders in the Utah Dept. of Technology Services, this meant putting plans into action to allow workers to connect while...
by  | Mar 16, 2020 | 
For all the talk about the importance of cybersecurity, despite an increase in the number of businesses and other organizations being targeted by hackers, for all the new regulations aimed at protecting consumers while forcing businesses to take data protection...
by  | Mar 9, 2020 | 
Detecting increasingly sophisticated malware attacks requires complex defenses. Security companies are using more and more advanced types of machine and deep learning to blacklist malware and prevent it from ever getting to your employees or your computer...
by  | Mar 2, 2020 | 
In this week’s episode of the CYBER24 podcast, presented by VLCM, we discuss how a leading security company educates your employees to help them keep your data safe online. We also discuss the sophisticated technology they use to keep malicious links from getting to...
by  | Feb 24, 2020 | 
The state of Utah is exploring the possibility of using blockchain technology to make voting more secure and more convenient. In this episode of CYBERR24, presented by VLCM, we sit down with Utah’s top technology official to learn more about the technology that might...
by  | Feb 18, 2020 | 
We know internet users love to click on links, often with too little regard for how trustworthy the source may be. And that can have bad results for everyone. Some experts say we need to do more than just try and train users to be smarter about their web security...
by  | Feb 11, 2020 | 
The internet of things (IoT) has been steadily creeping into our lives. From smart appliances to smart light bulbs, there are more and more devices that make our lives more convenient. But these devices operate on our personal and business networks. Any vulnerability...
by  | Feb 3, 2020 | 
Many considered 2019 to be the year of ransomware as the number of incidents shot up significantly. High profile targets — big cities like Atlanta and Baltimore — were targets. So were softer targets like school districts right before school resumed in the fall. So...
by  | Jan 27, 2020 | 
If you are in business in the year 2020, you almost certainly collect, stores and use data. At the beginning of 2020, new regulations went into place that likely pertain to your day-to-day operations. In this episode of the CYBER24 podcast, presented by VLCM, we...
by  | Jan 20, 2020 | 
We’ve talked about what happens to a business when it becomes the victim of a cybersecurity incident. We’ve talked about the importance of having proper security in place. But how exactly are you supposed to know if your security is up to the task? And if there’s a...
by  | Jan 13, 2020 | 
The U.S. takes military action against Iran and suddenly cybersecurity advocates don’t seem like they’re crying wolf.  Experts and advocates have been saying for years that the time has come for the U.S. in both the private and public sectors to take their...
by  | Dec 20, 2019 | 
Utah is home to a tech boom of its own with top-names tech companies finding the Silicon Slopes a great place to do business and military and defense companies growing around Hill Air Force Base in Davis County. For policymakers, finding ways to encourage more Utah...
by  | Dec 17, 2019 | 
It’s a safe bet that over the past few weeks you have made an online purchase or two. You add your items to the cart and then check out. But just how secure is that shopping cart? Thousands of online vendors use a similar type of base-code for that shopping cart and...
by  | Dec 10, 2019 | 
Cybercrime isn’t a uniquely American phenomenon. Recent high-profile attacks on Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil monopoly was hit with ransomware demanding $5 million comes just months after a similar attack on Norwegian aluminum producer Norsk Hydro. The former was...
by  | Nov 26, 2019 | 
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are all coming up this week. Besides needing to carefully develop a strategy to handle all the cardboard boxes about to hit your doorstep, it is also the right time to take some important steps to protect yourself...
by  | Nov 19, 2019 | 
A recent study shows that businesses that have a cybersecurity policy in place – and are willing to talk about it – are more valuable to investors.  Having policies in place for protecting your business against cybercriminals and to protect the data you...
by  | Nov 12, 2019 | 
Over the past 10 or 15 years, something really remarkable has happened: the face of business has transformed.  I’m not talking about the way business is done, though technology has had an impact there. I’m talking about the way most people interact with companies...
by  | Nov 5, 2019 | 
Poor cybersecurity leads to breaches and breaches cost your business time and money. But buying the right technology to keep the hackers at bay can only be so helpful if you don’t take the time to craft the right cybersecurity strategy.  On this week’s pod, we look at...
by  | Oct 29, 2019 | 
One of those unwritten rules of cybersecurity is that you don’t brag about how good your security is. It’s more than just bad karma, it’s the type of chest thumping that can awaken the sleeping hacker giants looking for a challenge.  But last week, Jack Ma, the...
by  | Oct 22, 2019 | 
When the legendary Green Bay Packers football coach, Vince Lombardi, opened training camp each season, he started with the basics.  “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Even with a squad full of professional football players, Lombardi knew the importance of focusing on...
by  | Oct 15, 2019 | 
Another week, another big hack. It may come as no surprise that millions of people play video games on their phones. Whether they are attacking pigs with chickens, rolling some old school Nintendo games or playing electronic versions of classic board games, video...
by  | Oct 8, 2019 | 
Cyber warfare is at the heart of a potential U.S. response to incidents in the Middle East, according to published reports. While attacks and responses to attacks have traditionally been held on the battlefield, that battlefield is increasingly moving to the cyber...
by  | Oct 1, 2019 | 
One thing you should never underestimate? The astounding creativity of cybercriminals. As security services and our overall cybersecurity posture continue to improve, the bad guys need to come up with more and more innovative ways to get access to the data they want. ...
by  | Sep 24, 2019 | 
Sometimes you read something and just can’t believe it. Sometimes the numbers involved in cyber breaches are just overwhelming. And then there’s this one.  The entire country of Ecuador got hacked. Not it’s biggest bank. Not its largest company. Nope. A database that...
by  | Sep 17, 2019 | 
Cybercriminals have found small cities and towns to be easy targets for ransomware. In fact, 45 percent of attacks on municipalities have been aimed at cities with populations under 50,000 and a quarter of all attacks on those smaller than 10,000 residents.  One...
by  | Sep 10, 2019 | 
One topic has dominated our podcast the past few weeks, and for good reason. Ransomware attacks have more than doubled this year and the majority of them have been targeted at state and local government.  According to a study by Barracuda Networks, 55 ransomware...
by  | Sep 6, 2019 | 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released an article on their Think Before You Post campaign, designed to educate students on the use of social media and how to avoid making poor choices when posting, texting, or emailing thoughts or grievances that could...
by  | Sep 3, 2019 | 
Every year, two of the biggest cybersecurity conventions in the world are held simultaneously in Las Vegas. Professionals dedicated to protecting companies and consumers rub shoulders with hackers. To get the inside scoop, we sent two members of our rotating panel of...
by  | Aug 27, 2019 | 
As the federal and state governments have worked to enhance their cybersecurity infrastructure, cyber criminals have now seemingly set their sights on a new and, evidently, far more vulnerable target: cities and towns.  Texas learned this the hard way earlier this...
by  | Aug 20, 2019 | 
Last month, Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox announced a pilot program testing the benefits of state employees teleworking showed increased productivity, reduced carbon output by eliminating the commute to an office and allows for more efficient use of state office space. ...
by  | Aug 13, 2019 | 
Across the country, parents are busy with back-to-school shopping while kids are squeezing every minute of rest and relaxation they can out of the final weeks of summer vacation. As schools prepare to welcome students back, many are becoming targets of hackers.  In...
by  | Aug 6, 2019 | 
Sometimes the numbers are so big you can’t ignore them. And when two business giants are involved it gets even harder to miss. The latest headline-grabbing cyber breach involves Capitol One, a former employee of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and a breach impacting 106...
by  | Feb 12, 2019 | 
If there’s one thing we’ve learned through two seasons of the CYBER24 podcast (besides you need to do better managing your passwords) it’s that the bad guys are always going to be a step ahead of the good guys. It’s the nature of playing defense. Just when you stop...
by  | Feb 6, 2019 | 
In late January, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued agency’s first Emergency Directive, outlining current and potential risks posed to Federal agencies. The attack was a combination of simplicity over sophistication and...
by  | Jan 23, 2019 | 
As we sat down to record this week’s pod, the federal government had been shut down for 26 days with no end in sight. While the battle over a board wall continues in the nation’s capital, we at CYBER24 wanted to take a look at how a shutdown impacts our nation’s...
by  | Jan 15, 2019 | 
In this week’s episode of CYBER24, we head back to campus to discuss the cybersecurity challenges faced by universities. We sit down with Bret Ellis, vice president of information technology at Weber State University. From protecting student data, to ensuring...
by  | Jan 12, 2019 | 
In this week’s episode, we look into the game causing relationship stress and carpal tunnel syndrome across the globe. Fortnite is the biggest thing in video games right now and, despite the fact that it is free to play, hackers have been breaking into accounts,...
by  | Dec 21, 2018 | 
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | EmbedSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS To fend off cyber attacks as they grow more and more sophisticated, many businesses are taking a new approach. Your current cybersecurity...
by  | Dec 12, 2018 | 
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | EmbedSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS As data breaches and other cybersecurity incidents continue to grab headlines, it’s worth wondering whether or not the American public is...
by  | Dec 3, 2018 | 
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | EmbedSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS The world of cybersecurity faces some significant challenges over the next several years. In this week’s episode of CYBER24, we bring you the...
by  | Nov 23, 2018 | 
The world of cybersecurity faces some significant challenges over the next several years. In this week’s episode of CYBER24, we bring you a panel discussion we led at a recent cybersecurity summit hosted by VLCM. Our panel of experts includes: Matt Sorensen, Secuvant...
by  | Nov 16, 2018 | 
It can be amazing to think back to a quaint time when the internet didn’t touch every part of your life. Just ten years ago, for example, I recall setting up the very first Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube accounts where I worked. It has been a decade of rapid...
by  | Nov 9, 2018 | 
In our last episode, I talked about some new tech at our house and the chain reaction of resetting computers, reinstalling operating systems, updating passwords and other security measures. We outlined the top ten things you need to do before connecting a new computer...
by  | Nov 6, 2018 | , 
Sometimes it comes in waves. This has been a season of new tech at my house including a new laptop for me. My old one passed down to my daughter. I found out my son’s PC was somehow mining bitcoin. Good heavens. As I’ve been setting up and resetting computers over the...
by  | Oct 26, 2018 | 
When a top-ranked U.S. security official says our digital lives are in danger like never before, you should probably believe her. That’s a direct quote from the Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. In this week’s episode of CYBER24, we take a look at some...
by  | Oct 18, 2018 | 
Some of you may remember the short-lived NBC game show in which a British woman berated contestants who underperformed (or who did just fine) by staring them down and declaring in a stern voice, “you are the weakest link. Goodbye.” No doubt cybersecurity experts, IT...
by  | Oct 11, 2018 | , 
By the time you are listening to this podcast the 2018 Election will be just a few weeks away and voters in Utah will have ballots in-hand ready to be filled out and mailed back. Casting a ballot for the candidate of your choice is among the most American things we...
by  | Oct 5, 2018 | , 
As much as business leaders and elected officials may wish it were so, the unfortunate truth is there is no such thing as a silver bullet when it comes to cybersecurity. Instead, protecting the data and systems that make running your company possible takes an expertly...
by  | Sep 28, 2018 | 
For most students in Utah, the excitement (or dread) of going back to school has come and gone and they have settled into the routine of classes, homework and tests. But today’s students face an additional challenge… one that their Oregon Trail playing parents didn’t...
by  | Sep 22, 2018 | 
In this week’s episode of CYBER24, we take a look at how business is working with government – be it law enforcement or even the military – to play an important role in cybersecurity. In our first segment, we break down a report from earlier this month,...
by  | Sep 12, 2018 | 
Every time you hear about another data breach with exposing personal information on thousands of people you may wonder if your name is on that list now floating around the dark web. Heck, you may even assume you were part of the breach. But how do you find out just...
by  | Sep 8, 2018 | 
As cyber crime continues to become a bigger concern for businesses and policymakers, some are now suggesting the best defense may actually be a good offense – or at the very least slightly more aggressive one. In this week’s episode of the award-winning CYBER24...