Tag Archive for: data protection

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Ostra Cybersecurity

Largest Medical Cyberattack in US History?

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Universal Health Systems is a major US hospital and healthcare provider that has more than 400 different locations throughout the country. The hospital system was hit with one of the largest medicals cyberattacks ever in the United States. Experts believe it could be the biggest ever.

The attack, that left the IT network offline across the 400 healthcare facilities, was reported as a security incident. The facilities had to resort to their back-up plan which includes offline documentation methods. Nurses had to work with pen and paper and could not access their medication system. Many reported that their computers either shut off on their own or slowly stopped working.

The way the entire system was compromised at once and many computers seemed to be taken over, makes this seem like a ransomware attack. Many experts are speculating that this is the case. We know that cybercriminals like to target healthcare systems because the probability of a ransom payment is higher. Hospitals would rather pay than have a patient become more injured, sick, or die due to a security incident.

Protect your business

To protect the organization, company IT security programs should be in the hands of professionally managed security teams or outsourced to managed security firms. Ostra Cyber Security is the professionally managed security team for your business. Managing everything from desktops and laptops, to tablets and BYODs, Ostra’s technology keeps everyone safe.

Want to find out more? Visit Ostra.net or contact us today at protection@ostra.net

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Ostra Cybersecurity

House Passes Legislation To Set Internet Of Things Security Standards

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A new bill that was just passed will require that all Internet of Things devices purchased by the US government must meet set security requirements. Internet of Things devices is any everyday objects that connect via the internet to send/receive data. Things like smartwatches, smart home security devices, and wireless inventory trackers are all IoT devices.

This bill, called the IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act, instructs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to enforce security standards that any government agency needs to follow when buying IoT devices.

“These devices must be secure in order to protect Americans’ personal data.” Rep. Kelly (IL)

Even though this bill doesn’t directly improve the security of millions of consumer Internet of Things devices that are already being used by Americans. Such as home voice assistants, smart TVs, and smartwatches. It is still a huge deal for long-term IoT security. Because government agencies are big customers, IoT manufacturers will have to adjust to meet the new standard if they want to keep their business. Most IoT manufacturers sell to the government and consumers, so it should encourage them to only follow one set of standards. Resulting in improved security standards for all future IoT devices.

Stay protected

This bill gives manufacturers 2 years to update their security standards. Some say this is too long of a wait considering there are currently millions of devices in the US that could be vulnerable to unknown or known exploits.

Ostra Cyber Security provides active network defense protection for your home or businesses’ Internet of Things devices and acts immediately instead of monitoring and alerting as many antiviruses do.

Want to find out more? Visit Ostra.net or contact us today at protection@ostra.net

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Ostra Cybersecurity

Companies are Looking for Affordable Cybersecurity Solutions

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It is estimated that more than half of the US workforce has transitioned to remote working. With more people working from home businesses are way more vulnerable. This has really increased overall cybersecurity spending for companies.

58% of companies represented in a recent Microsoft survey have increased their cybersecurity budgets in response to the pandemic.

Companies have spent the last months working overtime to meet business goals while also protecting the business from new and dangerous threats. Even though many companies are spending more to play defense, many are still being impacted by social engineering attacks, like phishing scams. Phishing scams have only become more popular as employees are now working on personal networks and devices.

Companies are Struggling with Complex Cybersecurity Programs

The COVID situation has made companies rethink their cybersecurity approach. Now companies are finding ways to increase the efficiency of their cybersecurity while also simplifying them.

“Companies are looking for simplicity, to date, security is too complicated.” – Andrew Conway, GM for Microsoft’s security marketing

Companies are struggling with complex and hard to use/install cybersecurity programs that use many different security tools from different vendors. Many programs require too much set-up or maintenance work. Companies and cybersecurity managers are looking for an affordable cybersecurity program that simplifies cyber defense and protects what matters.

Businesses NEED a simple and affordable cybersecurity program in place

Ostra is your cyber-security-solution that offers a 360 degree, 24/7 protection that works seamlessly in the background, protecting sensitive data and communications at every access point. Ostra Cyber Security is a software solution that knits together the top security solutions in the industry. We leverage known platforms such as FireEye and Palo Alto, to create a sphere of protection for your business and employees, no matter where they are located or what machine they are on.

Want to find out more? Contact us today!

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Ostra Cybersecurity

The Challenge of Cybersecurity Education at Colleges

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Colleges around the nation have dealt with an increase in pandemic-related cyberattacks. Colleges have always been a target for many cybercriminals as they hold a lot of sensitive information and research, which are valuable on the dark web. With the increase in attacks, many college security chiefs say the real challenge is educating professors and students on cybersecurity training and data protection.

Many of the attacks have been targeted towards medicine schools that conduct COVID-19 related research. The academic community has always worked together and relied on shared information, which is what makes training difficult.

“In an environment where it is intrinsic for our people to say, ‘Give away the information,’ there’s also a national interest in keeping it protected, too. It’s a super delicate balance,” -Erik Decker, CISO at University of Chicago Medicine

Mr. Decker says that the overall solution includes educating the students and any faculty on cyberattacks and how they work. As well as what the best security practices are even though they might add more time to the research process. Emphasizing the idea of data protection is necessary.

Importance of data protection

Most organizations are experiencing an increase in pandemic related cyberattacks currently. However, many companies fail to properly train their employees or install a cybersecurity program, which creates a huge vulnerability for the company. This is why a cybersecurity solution is necessary no matter the size of the company, big or small.

Ostra Cybersecurity prevents problems before they happen. Ostra operates behind the scenes to protect businesses and their most valuable asset, their data.

Want to find out more? Contact us today!

Ostra Cybersecurity, Inc.
7500 Flying Cloud Drive, Suite 640
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
contact@ostra.net
(866) 336-7872

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