Did you know that banking institutions now have the shortest timeline of any industry to report security incidents? Well, it’s true! As of April 1, 2022, banking institutions now only have a 36-hour window to notify regulators of security incidents. Collaboratively, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) agreed on this time frame. Read the FDIC Letter here.
Blog
-
SECURITY INCIDENT REPORTING WINDOW SHORTENED FOR BANKING INSTITUTIONS
{% module_block module “widget_bc103ccf-320c-4775-9cee-d375707f2eea” %}{% module_attribute “child_css” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}{}{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “css” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}{}{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “definition_id” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}null{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “field_types” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}{“primary_menu_field”:”menu”}{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “label” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}null{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “module_id” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}66147139242{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “path” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}”/Vala 2022/modules/menu-section”{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “schema_version” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}2{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “smart_objects” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}[]{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “smart_type” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}”NOT_SMART”{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “tag” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}”module”{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “type” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}”module”{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% module_attribute “wrap_field_tag” is_json=”true” %}{% raw %}”div”{% endraw %}{% end_module_attribute %}{% end_module_block %} -
Announcing First IT Voice Practitioner Highlight: Gerardo Guerrero
Our new tagline at IT Voice is “We are experts in cybersecurity and compliance, so you don’t have to be”. We want to start taking some time to highlight a key part of that, our experts. To do this, we are announcing our “Practitioner Highlight” program. First to be honored is our subject matter expert Gerardo Guerrero.
(more…) -
Yes, Phishing is still a problem! Plus, 5 tips for prevention.
I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but phishing is alive and well. In fact, it is the most common technique that malicious actors use to gain access into organizations. What should be surprising though, is that individuals are still falling for phishing attempts. This could be for a multitude of reasons: lack of training, the organization’s environment lacks the necessary hardening to protect against phishing attempts, or more elaborate phishing attempts by malicious actors.
(more…) -
VISUALIZING THE SLAPPEY PLEDGE: PUT OTHERS FIRST
I WILL PUT OTHERS FIRST. I will be a person who will seek unity. I will do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but will regard others as more important than myself. I will not only look out for my own personal interests, but also look out for the interests of others.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
The Following is a true story from Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, a Holocaust Survivor:
“As you know, during the Holocaust, the people were transported in the worst possible, inhumane way by railcar. After hours and hours in this inhumane corral with no light, no bathroom, cold, they arrived at the camps. The doors were swung wide open, and they were blinded by the light. Men were separated from women, mothers from daughters, fathers from sons. They went off to the bunkers to sleep. As they went into the area to sleep, only one person was given a blanket for every six. The person who received the blanket, when he went to bed, had to decide, ‘Am I going to push the blanket to the five other people who did not get one, or am I going to pull it toward myself to stay warm?’
It was during this defining moment that we learned the power of the human spirit, because we pushed the blanket to five others.” ( Hermes Magazine, 2001)
This story is far more difficult than anything we will ever experience, but I believe it perfectly illustrates the principle of putting others first. The rubber really meets the road with putting others first when it costs us something: Am I willing to help someone at my own personal expense? It is easy to say but difficult to do (especially in the small things that no one sees). I believe putting others first is a discipline and muscle we have to consciously exercise to improve—it won’t just happen because we want it to. I challenge us this week to find one small thing every day that we can do to put someone ahead of ourselves.
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
-
YOU NEED MORE THAN YOUR EYES ON YOUR PHONE SYSTEM
Having your phone service down is bad enough. It’s not only important to resolve, but it’s urgent too. Your priority should be immediacy. However, when you initiate help fast, having the wrong system is actually worse than the phones being down. If you purchase the wrong system it often times neglects the capabilities your salesforce needs resulting in a lot of wasted money. But having the right system isn’t enough. Outages are usually unpredictable, so they may go out in the middle of the night, or early morning. Having a provider that can be accessible 24/7 is a must. Your prospects view your website and call your office when it’s convenient for them.
There are a few questions you need to consider when determining if the provider’s functions will be reliable:
- Does your business require a system that has IVR (interactive voice response) capabilities? If so, what capabilities do you require?
- Is there a need for your contact center employees to interact through social media?
- Do you use any type of web collaboration services?
- Does your business need the ability to do dynamic call routing?
- Is your staff easily accessible when they are mobile?
To know what additional questions you need to ask your provider to get your system back up and running, download the Service Recovery Checklist. -
Everyone loves cookies–even cybercriminals
Everyone loves cookies–even cybercriminals
When you visit a site, probably for the first time or from a new device or browser, you will see an alert that mentions the site uses Cookies to offer you a more personalized experience and asks you if you are okay with it. Let’s admit it. A lot of us don’t even bother to read what the notification says before we click “Accept” and move on with our browsing.
Cookies are tiny information packets that store data related to your interaction and behavior on websites. It is like walking into your favorite local diner and having them serve up the “usual” instantly. Cookies, track your digital footprint on a website and allow the site to offer you a more personalized browsing experience. For example, let’s say you visited Amazon.com and looked at some cameras, perhaps you put one into your cart as well, but never checked out, or added one to your wishlist on the site. The next time the camera is on a sale, Amazon app sends you a notification about the price reduction. That happens with the help of cookies. And, that’s just one example. Cookies are not necessarily limited to shopping sites.You know how sometimes you can save your password for some sites, so you don’t have to type it or log in every time you visit the website? You are able to do that because of cookies. Any site can have cookies, though shopping and banking sites can’t function without them. These are known as session cookies and are absolutely indispensable, while some like persistent cookies make your web browsing experience more pleasant and the third party cookies, while not very pleasant, are used basically to facilitate online advertising. How do cookies become a security threat, then?
Cookies become a security threat when hackers get access to them. If hackers hijack your cookies, they can get access to your session, your passwords and other related online activities. Hackers sometimes create “Super Cookies” and “Zombie cookies” to steal information from authentic cookies. Such cookies are difficult to identify and delete and sometimes work like worms replicating themselves, thus making it more difficult to get rid of them. Hackers can also steal your cookies if they get access to your network or to the server of the website you are visiting. For example, if your bank’s or shopping website’s server was hacked into, chances are, the hacker has access to your cookies and thereby all your account details.
If you liked what you read, then check out our whitepaper, The cookie monster is coming for you, for a more detailed account of the threats posed by cookies and how you can manage them better.
-
Everyday Human Error Can Affect Data Protection
Everyday Human Error Can Affect Data Protection
Are you under the impression that data loss is all about putting up firewalls to protect against evil cyberattacks? Some of the biggest sources of data loss include sloppiness, human error, and just plain forgetfulness.
What are some of the unglamorous things that we do everyday that leave us vulnerable?
Passwords
Old or easy passwords are a good first example. Employees set up simple passwords that are easy to crack. More importantly, employees may share passwords, and many often fail to create new ones on a frequent basis. Both of these represent critical breakdowns of good data protection practices.
Emails
Another significant problem caused by bad judgment is the tendency of people to open phishing scams. Almost everyone now knows about the Nigerian who wants to send money to your bank account, but many new scams come along every day and people fall for them. This is such a serious source of virus infection that some companies now deliberately send out their own phishing email to teach workers not to open anything from an unknown source. (The employee who opens one of these gets a pop up screen that tells them they’ve been tricked and then offers guidelines for identifying bad emails.)
Browsing the Web
Bad websites. Yes, everyone has policies about internet use at work, but that doesn’t mean people pay attention and don’t visit places they shouldn’t. Most significantly, a lot of those “sites they shouldn’t visit” are far more likely to be infected than CNN, Ebay or Amazon!
Losing Your Belongings
And finally there is just old-fashioned forgetfulness. Phones left on a bar stool.Or the bus. Sigh. There isn’t much more to be said about this one.
To learn more about the risks that your employees pose to your business’s data integrity, see our e-guide “Now you see it, There IT…Stays”. -
Guide: 6 Questions to Help Determine When to Update Your Technology
Voice and IT: Some Things Just Go Better Together
Have you been struggling to manage all of your business IT needs? It might be time to evaluate your technology to make sure it is addressing your growing needs, protects your data, improves efficiency, and more.
Combining all of your IT and voice solutions has valuable benefits from accountability and expertise to time savings and efficiency.
-
Selecting, Changing, or Upgrading: Your Guide to Business Telecom
Selecting the right business phone system is important, but it shouldn’t take you away from your primary business responsibilities.
(more…) -
The New MVP: Message, Video, & Phones
Creating the perfect customer experience often starts with a phone call. Hosted phone systems give your business the features needed to craft the best first impression. In this post, we will cover an essential part of everyday life: phones. Chances are you have one in arms reach right now, and it is hard to deny the impact they have on our everyday and professional lives. Innovative technology is changing the way we all look at the business phone system. No longer is it a device that simply sits on your desk to make a call. This new tech has led to looking at phones in a different way.
(more…)
