Thoughts From My Inbox
April 23rd, 2021

Something About…

In hopes of not losing readership due to boring items like security updates, I thought I’d put all of these into one item. SonicWall has released patches for their email security products, Google has put out updates to their Chrome browser, and WordPress has pushed updates for their website platforms.

“Persistence”, in terms of cyber security, is the idea of a hacker getting into your network and staying there for long periods of time (as opposed to grabbing the goods and leaving immediately). This could be for days, weeks, or even months.  In this case, a hacker compromised an enterprise network in March, 2020, and it’s taken until February of 2021 to be discovered.  You can read for more, but some of the key factors that lead to this persistence included; lack of multi-factor authentication, software which had not been updated, poor password solutions, and users with too many permissions.  All things the Ashton team sees on a regular basis when we’re onboarding new clients.

In case you missed it, our webinar from earlier this week in conjunction with The Oswald Companies on the topic of cyber liability is available on video.  This panel discussion highlighted the recent changes to insurance policies as well as the technology needed to reduce your costs, your risk, and your liability.  The video is password protected, with the password being “cyber2021!”

Using movie titles for your passwords?  How unique are they?  Came across a list of the 20 most common movie title passwords (Yes, that’s random. But not as random as the most common MLB team passwords– why do people research this stuff???).  Nobody will ever guess my password as We’reTheMillers##

Looking to hack into a corporate network through their RDP connection?  1.3 million passwords were just leaked, and they can be yours for as little as $3 each on the dark web. According to this article, the group (UAS) selling these passwords has pretty strong customer service (a hallmark of all the finest ransomware groups) and even offers data and support.  How thoughtful.

The Derby is typically run on the first Saturday in May. Last year it was pushed back to Labor Day weekend, and now we’re back on schedule for May 1.  Knowing that if I wait until next Friday, you won’t have time to get the ingredients, I figured I’d share my favorite recipe for a mint julep with which to watch the race. Bourbon is your choice, but I’d go with Knob Creek on this.  And for the best results, a pewter or silver julep cup.

Best,
Jim