Blog

Evolution of Evil

Ransomware is a somewhat straightforward criminal action – data is illicitly encrypted and you may be able to restore systems from a backup or pay the crooks to hopefully get a decryption key from them.

Things have veered in a different direction now (see Allianz Commercial insurer’s report). Today a lot of ransomware attacks are cyber-extortion attacks. In these attacks the criminals capture your data and encrypt it, but they also exfiltrate your data to their servers. And the threat is often, ‘unless you pay, we will release your data on the web’ … [5 min. read]

New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that scams originating on social media have accounted for $2.7 billion in reported losses since 2021, more than any other contact method …

Reports during the first half of [2023] show that the most frequently reported scams on social media are related to online shopping, with 44 percent of reports pointing to fraud related to buying or selling products online. [source: FTC]

Social media shopping has grown huge: 67% of shoppers in 2022 purchased through social media channels and this course we’re on shows no signs of changing. And while it’s easy to see why people do it (among the reasons: more time spent on social media than with traditional media, the simulated, relaxed feeling of a community and the ease-of-purchase), it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t see if what we’re doing is in our best interests. Or at least ask, ‘can we do it better?’ … [4 min. read]

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mike Carlson, Bryley Systems’ Chief Technology Officer.

Mike joined Bryley Systems in 1997 and, due to his brilliance, dedication, extensive knowledge in both local and wide-area network design and implementation, and love for technology became the Bryley CTO in 2007 … [4 min. read]

That’s $2,742,354,049 lost to Business Email Compromise in the US in 2022

That number is eight times the population of the United States. If you stacked that number of dollar bills like a giant deck of cards and laid them horizontally, it would take you more than a day to drive that distance.

Unless you’re aware of the continually evolving cyber-threats, how can you make the most informed decisions about how to protect your organization?

As Bryley partner Barracuda describes them, Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks are audacious. The over 2.7-billion-dollar losses suffered via BEC far outstrip the money lost to ransomware – in 2022 there were $34 million dollars in reported ransomware payouts. And to pull off a BEC attack takes a lot more know-how and investment than ransomware does – Ransomware-as-a-Service can be found cheap – it’s like subscribing to a cloud service – on the dark web. BEC actors are stealthy, manipulative and tend to go big, to make it much harder for employees to suspect them … [5 min. read]

When workers are remote they pose a greater risk to your organization’s data because home networks are less secure and employees do not as closely follow security protocols, per Ponemon Institute’s Data Exposure Report

In a hybrid work environment, where employees work from wherever, it’s critical to prioritize security. And communicating security’s importance to your employees – and their adoption of good practices – is crucial. It was a lot easier to have everyone in the office connected directly to a server without relying on the convenience of the internet – but with hybrid privilege comes hybrid responsibility. … [4 min. read]

As supply chains’ compliance tightens, as cyber-insurance coverage qualifications grow, as industry and governmental bodies increase their criteria for data privacy, consider Bryley’s SOC offering: Because Bryley SOC can monitor a business’ cybersecurity 24/7/365, threats can be identified and responded to quickly, sometimes before any harm is done. So Bryley SOC can satisfy many compliance concerns … [4 min. read]

Years ago a consultant told me that to shift a business’ paradigm was like trying to turn an ocean liner. Seems about right.

Bryley was started in 1987. Over that time we’ve had to continually think and rethink what’s working and what’s no longer serving our clients. And from the process of assessing and reassessing we’ve evolved. For example we went from designing and installing networks to being companies’ outsourced IT departments – the skills and tasks involved to successfully fulfill each of these roles is different. So we’ve adjusted staff and shifted our expertise. This kind of change is never easy.

That’s why when you’re considering Bryley as your IT provider, we make it a point to look out for the obstacles you’ll be facing in making the shift from how you’re currently doing things … [6 min. read]