Where would we be without computers or the internet?
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, Information Technology (IT) has become an indispensable asset, not just an expense. IT is the driving force behind operational efficiency, innovation, customer engagement and competitive advantage. Businesses and organizations of varying sizes rely on IT systems to manage data, streamline processes, and facilitate smooth communication. IT solutions, such as cloud computing and data analytics, empower organizations to make informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and enhance customer experiences.
Robust IT infrastructure ensures heightened cybersecurity, safeguarding sensitive information from cyber threats. As businesses continue to navigate the digital age, those that prioritize and invest in IT are better positioned to adapt, thrive, and stay ahead of the competition.
Are you using the right technology to be effective and efficient? Spend 30 minutes with TechOnsite to review your technology stack.
Robust IT infrastructure ensures heightened cybersecurity, safeguarding sensitive information from cyber threats. As businesses continue to navigate the digital age, those that prioritize and invest in IT are better positioned to adapt, thrive, and stay ahead of the competition.
Are you using the right technology to be effective and efficient? Spend 30 minutes with TechOnsite to review your technology stack.
The Need To Encrypt Your Business Email
Encrypting your email is crucial for protecting sensitive information, such as personal data, financial details, intellectual property, and confidential business communications, from potential eavesdroppers and hackers. By encrypting your emails, you can ensure that only the intended recipients can access the content and keep your communication private and secure.
How Does Email Encryption Work?
Email encryption works by using cryptographic techniques to secure the content of an email message, making it unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the decryption key.
Encryption Process
Before the email leaves the sender’s device or email server, the content of the email is encrypted. Encryption transforms the original text of the message into a scrambled and unreadable format using complex algorithms.
Public & Private Keys
The encryption process involves the use of cryptographic keys. Each user has a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. The public key is used for encryption, and it can be shared openly with anyone. The private key, on the other hand, is known only to the owner and is used for decryption.
Recipient's Public Key
When you send an encrypted email to someone, your email client or server retrieves the recipient’s public key (usually from a digital certificate or a public key server) to encrypt the message.
Decryption
Once the encrypted email reaches the recipient’s device or email server, it can only be decrypted using the recipient’s
private key. Since the private key is
known only to the recipient, only they can decode and read the original content.
End-To-End Encryption
For maximum security, end-to-end encryption is used, where the email content is encrypted on the sender’s side and remains encrypted until it reaches the recipient’s side. This means that even email service providers or intermediaries cannot access the content of the email while it’s in transit.
Email encryption provides a strong layer of security for email communications, especially when using methods like Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), GNU Privacy Guard (GPG), or Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME). It’s essential to protect your private key and passphrase to maintain the security of your encrypted emails.
In summary, email encryption is a fundamental tool for protecting sensitive information, ensuring privacy, complying with regulations, and maintaining trust in digital communication. Whether for personal or business use, it’s an essential practice in our increasingly interconnected and data-driven world.
In summary, email encryption is a fundamental tool for protecting sensitive information, ensuring privacy, complying with regulations, and maintaining trust in digital communication. Whether for personal or business use, it’s an essential practice in our increasingly interconnected and data-driven world.
In today’s digital world, cybercriminals have a number of techniques and tools to compromise accounts. Securing your accounts with an additional layer of security through Multi-factor authentication (MFA) significantly mitigates these risks.
Note: MFA (Multi-factor authentication: at least two or more authentication methods) and 2FA (2-factor authentication: two methods of authentication)
Note: MFA (Multi-factor authentication: at least two or more authentication methods) and 2FA (2-factor authentication: two methods of authentication)
- UNPREDICTABLE AND UNIQUE
Avoid easily guessable or commonly used passwords. Steer clear of examples like “password123” or birthdates. - VARIETY IS KEY
Employ a variety of characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. - REGULAR UPDATES
Change passwords at regular intervals to enhance security. - AVOID DICTIONARY WORDS
Refrain from using recognizable dictionary words, as these can be easily cracked using brute force attacks.
- TEXT MESSAGE CODES
Verification code to a registered phone number. - AUTHENTICATION APP GENERATED CODES
Time-sensitive codes generated within authentication apps. - BIOMETRICS
Biological markers like fingerprints. - PHYSICAL AUTHENTICATION CARDS
Smart cards with embedded chips.
Password Managers
Using a password manager can help you organize and generate secure passwords for your accounts.
Guarding Against Social Engineering
Be vigilant about sharing personal information. Cybercriminals often exploit social engineering techniques to gather data about their targets, which aids in phishing attempts and impersonation.
The Importance of MFA
Mat Honan’s experience serves as a sobering reminder. Without MFA enabled, his interconnected accounts were left vulnerable to take over. In about 1 hour’s time, the attackers deleted his Google account, wiped iCloud backups, and hijacked his Twitter account. The initial breach occurred through his Amazon account, which was linked to his Apple ID and subsequently provided access to Gmail and Twitter.
The hackers’ intent was only to take over his Twitter account. If MFA had been in place, they would not have made progress, illustrating the critical role MFA plays in protecting our digital identities.
The hackers’ intent was only to take over his Twitter account. If MFA had been in place, they would not have made progress, illustrating the critical role MFA plays in protecting our digital identities.
Copyright: Robyn Kessler Photography
Task Manager and Activity Monitor are system utility tools used to monitor and manage running processes and system resources on Windows and macOS, respectively. These tools are invaluable for troubleshooting performance issues and gaining insight into the health of your computer.
Task Manager in Windows provides a comprehensive view of all running processes, applications, and services. It displays essential information such as CPU and memory usage, disk activity, and network activity for each process. Users can easily identify resource-hungry applications or processes that may be causing system slowdowns or freezes. Task Manager also allows users to terminate unresponsive applications or processes, which can help resolve system issues without needing a full system restart. Additionally, it provides details about system startup programs and their impact on boot times.
Task Manager in Windows provides a comprehensive view of all running processes, applications, and services. It displays essential information such as CPU and memory usage, disk activity, and network activity for each process. Users can easily identify resource-hungry applications or processes that may be causing system slowdowns or freezes. Task Manager also allows users to terminate unresponsive applications or processes, which can help resolve system issues without needing a full system restart. Additionally, it provides details about system startup programs and their impact on boot times.
Activity Monitor serves a similar purpose to Task Manager on macOS but with a macOS-specific interface. It offers insights into CPU, memory, energy, disk, and network usage for all running applications and processes. Users can identify resource-intensive tasks, locate and quit unresponsive apps, and monitor system performance over time. Activity Monitor also includes a “Memory” tab, displaying information about memory usage, including RAM and swap space, helping users identify potential memory leaks or excessive memory consumption by specific applications.
Task Manager and Activity Monitor are essential tools for monitoring and managing system resources and processes on Windows and macOS systems. They provide detailed insights into resource usage, facilitate troubleshooting, and allow users to maintain optimal system performance. Whether a casual user or an IT professional, these utilities are indispensable for running your computer smoothly.
Task Manager and Activity Monitor are essential tools for monitoring and managing system resources and processes on Windows and macOS systems. They provide detailed insights into resource usage, facilitate troubleshooting, and allow users to maintain optimal system performance. Whether a casual user or an IT professional, these utilities are indispensable for running your computer smoothly.
The Impact of Windows TPM
While Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) aren’t new, they’ve recently been given a spotlight due to their intensive requirement in Microsoft Windows 11.
There are distinct types of TPM implementations that one can use. Some are physically attached to the motherboard, some are built into the CPU through firmware, and some can be software-based (which isn’t recommended due to security risks). TPMs are intended to keep encryption keys, passwords, and other delicate information behind a wall so that malicious programs and attackers can’t easily use or edit that information.
In the past, Microsoft didn’t force its users or partners to turn TPM on for Windows to function properly, until Windows 11 was released and left many devices unable to install or upgrade to the Operating System. The situation worsened when Microsoft provided varied and contradictory information regarding its TPM requirements, resulting in further confusion from businesses and customers alike. Despite this, Microsoft did have valid concerns to address in requiring TPM. Over the years, malware attacks have become more frequent and persistent, with no signs of slowing down. Given Windows’ large user base, Microsoft has a lot to lose through lack of security on their Operating system.
While TPM was more widely used in business environments, Microsoft wants that kind of increased security to all its user base, even if it’s not a completely foolproof technology. The TPM is also responsible for encrypting drives (using Bitlocker) and Biometrics to sign in without a password (using Windows Hello), among other features. While TPMs will be able to assist with some specific attacks, it will be a mix of security procedures and sufficiently capable hardware that will keep businesses and customers safe.
