Blue Ridge Technology

Ransomware Protection Ransomware attacks can be absolutely devastating to your business. Imagine logging into work one day and there’s nothing left to log into. It’s all just…gone. Locked up and held for ransom by some group of digital thieves. What would you do if this happened to you? Would you have any choice but to pay up? And would that even work? You’d be placing your hope in the “upstanding citizens” that are already committing a crime against to suddenly become honest folks who give you your files back. In other words, ransomware attacks can be existential threats to businesses like yours (any business that can’t operate without its data and/or digital systems). The good news is there’s a tech-forward solution that can keep you safe, even if you do fall victim to an attack. The bad news? Most businesses don’t have that solution in place. Here’s what you need to know about ransomware attacks and your best defense against them — something called immutable storage backu...

Common Passwords A recent report revealed the most common passwords in 2024. Spoiler alert: it isn’t pretty. Every year security firm Nordpass updates its list of the most common passwords. Their list is updated for 2024 (the most recent data complete year), and the results are equal parts depressing and predictable. We’ll cover the most common passwords and what’s wrong with using passwords like them. But first, let’s talk about why this is a real, real-world problem affecting even some of the planet’s biggest businesses. The Latest Victim: McDonald’s McDonald’s recently rolled out an AI hiring bot (we know, probably not your idea of a good time— ours either). Most applicants now have to “talk” to chatbot Olivia as a part of the hiring process. The chatbot collects information from applicants and directs them to various parts of the application process, like a notorious personality test. Security researchers Ian Carroll and Sam Curry didn’t love the idea of millions of applicants fee...

Protect Yourself from Identity Fraud with Digital Security When you read the word “fraud,” certain images come to mind: big businesses, financial firms, sketchy shell companies, pyramid schemes, slick hucksters taking advantage of a nonprofit— you get the idea. All of this seems very far removed from what you do as a small business leader. If your business deals directly with customers (like in retail or ecommerce), you might jump straight to something closer to theft, customers who try to buy from you using fraudulent methods or means. In reality, fraud affects more businesses more frequently than we tend to assume, including small businesses like yours. That’s because it takes forms most people don’t expect and catches small to midsize businesses unprepared. Small Businesses, Big Target It’s tempting to assume that fraudsters will only go after the biggest targets and the most lucrative paydays (like those big businesses and financial companies), not after smaller and “les...

Device Code Phishing Buckle up: this one’s a little bit wild…and a lot bit bad. A new scam has been hitting businesses across the US, even those who have been working hard to shore up their cybersecurity defenses. And when this attack works, the bad guys don’t even need to have a compromised or stolen password. The account or system under attack never even asks for one. We know this sounds just about impossible, but unfortunately it’s a very real threat. Here’s everything you need to know about device code phishing: what it is, why it works without a password, and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim. What Is Device Code Phishing? Device code phishing is a sophisticated form of phishing attack that convinces victims to give up access to their accounts. This time, instead of going after your username and password, the attack tries to convince you to input something called a device code. Once you do, you’ve actually given them access to your account, and they can do all ...