Security articles

Yes, small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to prove a fruitful target for cybercriminals.  The Allianz Risk Barometer reported that cyber risks are the largest concern for companies globally in 2022. And the number of cyberattack attempts per week reached an all-time high in Q4 of 2021.  Many hacking attempts — such as spam containing malicious links — are general in scope, not discriminating against the company’s size or sector. But the hit rate for small and medium businesses is […]

When it comes to cybersecurity risk – it’s not just devices and networks that are susceptible to attacks. Employees are a prime target for threat actors. Research suggests that employees of small businesses will be hit with a 350% higher level of social engineering attacks than those who work in large businesses.  Companies with a minimal security posture in place are the most likely to be compromised. Because they may not have robust cybersecurity measures in place, they’re essentially leaving […]

The importance of a curated stack, as told by a novice cyclist Around the start of Summer 2020 I began thinking: I really need to get outside more. This probably sounds familiar to anyone who was trying to make the best of a bad situation in 2020. I was already acclimated to a work-from-home situation, but my home office was feeling stuffy and I was tossing around the idea of getting a used bike. There was a large residential area […]

Small businesses suffer 43% of all cyberattacks, according to data from Accenture, but only 14% of small businesses are ready to defend themselves. Considering that cybersecurity incidents cost businesses an average of $200,000 and that 60% of small businesses will go out of business within six months of an attack, cybersecurity should be a top-of-mind concern for small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs). Email is an enormous attack vector for SMEs, and it is often the doorway to much more sophisticated […]

In the past, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) performed very different roles. MSPs were responsible for an organization’s IT infrastructure (storage, desktop management, backups, network, etc.), and MSSPs focused on protecting the organization against cyber threats. However, as cybersecurity becomes of increasing concern for companies, the lines between MSPs and MSSPs have begun to blur. In addition to managing companies’ IT infrastructure, MSPs have begun pivoting to becoming MSSPs as well. However, the services that […]

Traditionally, cybersecurity fell under the jurisdiction of IT, tech, or product teams and was overseen by the CISO. While these teams are still the primary players in cybersecurity decisions, the risk landscape is expanding, causing many companies to shift their thinking when it comes to cyber risk and cybersecurity. Because potential cyberattacks pose a larger risk to a business, the entire leadership team and the board (if it exists) should become key stakeholders over a business’ security efforts. The person […]

Cyberattacks have become a risk that all organizations need to address. As cybercrime has become more organized and professionalized, cyberattacks have also become more numerous, automated, and sophisticated. The reality is that any company can be the target of a cyberattack, and prevention is not enough to protect an organization. Even the most effective cyber solution will miss some attacks so organizations need to be prepared to address an attack at every stage of the kill chain (see diagram below). […]

We discuss what to consider before buying in. The cybersecurity market is complex, to say the least. The current market has over 3500 vendors with new ones being added daily. Coupled with the fact that the threat landscape keeps changing, it’s difficult for any security or risk leaders, especially those in SMEs, to know how to navigate this environment. Does a new threat or risk require a new tool, or does a current vendor have it covered? Vendors aren’t making […]

A majority of small and mid-sized enterprises (SME) have outstanding debt. It’s the cost of growing a business. But you might be surprised to know that your debt can extend far beyond the money owed to a lender. Many SMEs are also accumulating technical debt — the costs associated with reworking code, products, and solutions that have been improperly implemented to deliver a product more quickly. One of the more costly types of technical debt is cyber debt.  Cyber debt […]

The world is watching the terrible conflict currently happening in Ukraine. Russia has attacked the nation in more ways than one, including leveraging cyberattacks as part of the escalating discord. SolCyber, and the information security sector as a whole is on high alert and we recommend organizations know what the elevated risk is and what they can expect from the conflict. CISA, The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, has issued a “Shields Up” warning to all businesses as a […]

We spoke to Brian Stuckey, a cybersecurity and risk management expert, investor, and co-founder who provided helpful insight and expertise for this article. For many startup founders and cofounders, the process of raising money from investors and other VCs brings a few different challenges. Potential investors are looking for financially sound companies with a hyper growth potential, the right leaders, and a vision they can trust in. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on company leaders to ensure their […]

Cyber debt can be incredibly detrimental to a young or growing company and it’s all too easy to accrue. Businesses often fail to set up the proper security measures early on because they are deemed too expensive or time consuming. As people, technology, and devices are added to a business’s ecosystem, they are protected on a one-off basis — or not at all — leaving gaps bad actors can exploit. And because these businesses lack a security strategy, they’re also […]

2021 was a tumultuous year for cybersecurity and, unfortunately, we saw the effects of successful cybersecurity attacks across major companies and industries. The trends we observed in 2020 largely continued in 2021. Ransomware attacks continued to increase and a few major hacks dominated news media around the world. The Colonial Pipeline attack showed how devastating these ransomware attacks could be, and the immediate impact to supply chains and municipal infrastructures. The aftermath of 2020’s SolarWinds hack was also at the […]

We spoke to Brian Stuckey, a cybersecurity and risk management expert, investor, and co-founder who provided helpful insight and expertise for this article. Starting any new business is difficult and startups who are looking to be the next unicorn or IPO face many challenges as they try to grow, scale their services, and increase their customer base as quickly as possible.  These startups will undergo rigorous due diligence from investors that are considering putting money behind their company. This is […]