Blue Ridge Technology

Digital security has never been more important for your business than it is today, and now a new report from the FBI has businesses scrambling to shore up their cyber defenses. Ransomware attacks are serious threats to businesses of all shapes and sizes, and the FBI recently warned about a new ransomware group that is taking an especially aggressive approach. The group is called Interlock— here’s what you need to know. Meet Interlock Interlock is a group of cybercriminals that first hit the scene around September of last year. They have made a name for themselves by attacking businesses and infrastructure in the US and Europe, including some fairly high-profile targets. Their usual attack starts with a threat and a request for ransom. Once Interlock gains control of a business’s systems, they steal sensitive information and then lock businesses out via encryption. Next comes the ransom demand: pay up within a few days, or else. If you don’t, then your files all end up on the dark web—n...

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...