Recent Blog Posts
Let?s start by reviewing some of the drawbacks that multi-factor authentication?while exceptionally helpful?does unfortunately suffer from. It?s Simple? Multi-Factor Authentication Can be Frustrating For all the benefits it offers to your security, there can be no denying that MFA can be a pain, especially if there are too many steps required for your team to effectively and efficiently access their accounts, creating some friction and (as we said) frustration. Plus, the most common form of MFA (a code generated by a smartphone application) is dependent on their having the phone ready and available. For instance, what happens when an employee is halfway to the office and they realize that their phone?and resultantly, their MFA key?is still at their house? Or maybe one of your remote workers discovers that their phone isn?t on its charging station where they left it, only to discover that their child has deposited it into the toilet?what happens then? This is just one of the potential challenges that MFA can pose. So while the security benefits are clear, there is no denying that this security feature can also create stress. Enter Adaptive Authentication While still only being used by a limited (but growing) number of organizations, adaptive authentication takes other factors into account to determine whether or not an MFA prompt is called for. Here?s how it works: let?s say that you go to work at the same time every weekday and perform more or less the same processes and tasks. Each person has their own typing patterns and ways to move the mouse, including you. These details can all be used to build a sort of profile of behaviors that your systems start to associate with each user. If something unusual happens?like a login attempt from an unfamiliar device at an odd time?an MFA prompt will be required. The idea is to strike a balance between security and convenience in such a way that neither your protections or your productivity is unduly impacted. Various industries have started adopting this new approach, and while it may be some time before the average small or medium-sized business can easily do so, it?s something interesting to keep your eye out for. In the meantime, White Mountain IT Services can assist you with the other aspects of your business? IT to help boost your security and productivity. Learn more by giving us a call at (603) 889-0800.
Let?s take a look at what MFA fatigue is and what you can do about it. MFA Fatigue is a Fancy Name for a Specific Type of Social Engineering If one of your applications asked you to log in from your mobile device, you wouldn?t think twice about it. You would probably just accept the notification, even if it?s spamming you, maybe due to a ?glitch in the system? or some other excuse. Admit it; you would probably confirm the login just to get the notifications to go away. MFA helps you keep an account secure even in the event your password is stolen, and by adding in additional methods of authentication, MFA is supposed to make it harder for hackers to break into your accounts. If a hacker does plug in your credentials, you?ll still receive the notifications on your smartphone or in your email asking you to confirm the login. So, if you receive what appears to be a legitimate authentication prompt, would you simply confirm it? Even knowing that it could be a hacker attempting to break into your account? What if that notification appeared over and over and over and over again? How to Identify MFA Fatigue Here are some of the dead giveaway signs of MFA fatigue attacks: If you receive approval requests without attempting to log into an application. If you receive multiple requests from a single application. If you receive authentication request notifications at odd hours. How to Address the Threat of MFA Fatigue Thankfully, there are ways to protect yourself from the threats posed by MFA fatigue-based attacks. If you have a strong password to begin with, you can keep your accounts secure from MFA fatigue by virtue of them being difficult to guess. Your team also needs to be aware that MFA fatigue attacks actually exist and can pose a problem for your organization. Simply put, if it?s unidentified, then the request should be denied. Let Us Help You with Network Security White Mountain IT Services can be your trusted network security source. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
We want to tell you that it?s okay to feel overwhelmed and to not know enough about certain things in business. You started your business because you wanted to provide something of value to others, whether it?s a product or a service. You want to help people solve their problems in the best ways possible. You might have specialized knowledge refined through years of dedication and experience, but there will always be things that you don?t know. All business owners have to relent to this fact at some point in their professional careers. The same can be said for your staff, as well. You hired them for their own specialized skill sets, but you can?t expect them to know how to do every little thing you ask of them. If they did know how to do everything, they wouldn?t be so great at what you need them to do. Teamwork is crucial, as you are using the collective knowledge of your staff to achieve great things. It?s important that you foster this collaborative spirit amongst your staff, as they have limited knowledge bases on their own. The long and short of it is that you need to accept the fact that you won?t know everything, and neither will your staff, so it?s okay to accept the help of others when you need to. If you don?t know how to do something, it?s better to make sure that your tasks get completed properly the first time by asking others for help so that you don?t waste time, money, and patience on trying to do them yourself. This is an important foundational skill for any business professional to have: knowing what you can and cannot do. Businesses can embrace this mindset shift by considering outsourcing to be a viable option for many of the challenging functions of day-to-day operations. By outsourcing to trained professionals, you can avoid the hefty costs of hiring in-house staff for various responsibilities. One way businesses use outsourcing is with technology management and maintenance through a managed service provider, a practice which is highly profitable for organizations that don?t have an in-house IT department or the resources to fund one. White Mountain IT Services can be your go-to technology resource, and we can prove to be a valuable investment for your organization?s operational needs. We can work as a help desk to offer technology support, assist with the implementation of new technology solutions, and whatever else you might happen to require of us that is technology-related. Simply put, we want to be the ones you go to when you don?t know what to do next. To learn more about what we can do for your business, contact us at (603) 889-0800.
In July, a workplace management software development firm called Robin Powered surveyed 247 individuals in charge of their office spaces to compile the 2022 Office Space Report. Let?s begin by pulling some stats from this report to consider. Most Surveyed Businesses are Using Less Space than Before the COVID-19 Pandemic Started According to the feedback Robin Powered collected through their survey, only 11% of businesses surveyed were using all of their available space, 46% using half at maximum. To put these numbers in more exact context, about half of these respondents (48%) use less than they did before the pandemic? and of those using half or less of their space, 60% had already made moves to downsize their office space before the pandemic became a factor. 46% of respondents confirmed that 2023 would see further decreases in office space, over half (59%) planning to halve their space at least. More Businesses are Seeking to Optimize Their Existing Space, Too If they aren?t decreasing their office space, many businesses are reconsidering how it is used. According to research director Amy Loomis of IDC?s Future of Work research service, many companies aren?t sacrificing space in favor of repurposing it to be more flexible?signaling the end of cubicles in favor of multipurpose rooms, equipped with technologies that promote flexibility and collaboration between remote and on-premise employees. A survey by IDC back in April indicated that businesses around the world are shifting their perspectives of the office from a place to work to a place to be collaborative and train. Today?s Technology Makes Hybrid Operations Much Easier Naturally, all of this is only possible because of the technology today?s businesses have access to. Mobile devices that enable remote work and the collaborative tools that allow shared progress to be made have proven to be crucial in recent years. We Can Help Make Your Office a Hybrid-Friendly Space From cloud services to remote access solutions to mobile-friendly hardware, we can help you procure and manage everything required to support a hybrid work environment. Find out more by giving us a call at (603) 889-0800 today!
How is Data Deleted? The answer to this question heavily depends on the hardware that the data in question is stored on. Storage media comes in two types: hard disk drives (HDDs), or solid state drives (SSDs). These two options function through vastly different methods: HDDs are mechanical devices that feature a spinning platter upon which a mechanical arm writes and overwrites data. SSDs save data via flash memory to chips, where it can be read very quickly, which also eliminates the need for any moving parts. This single difference is the source of many others that often make one storage device the better option over the other. However, we?re here to talk about removing data from these devices, not adding to it? but as it turns out, this isn?t such a straightforward process where SSDs are concerned. Not All Data is Deleted the Same Way HDDs Have a Relatively Simple Process If you?re using a hard disk drive, deleting data is relatively simple. The arm is positioned over the disk in the appropriate spot and marks the data written there as ?to be overwritten.? Like we said, simple. SSDs are a Little More Complicated Because SSDs use flash data, they can?t just be overwritten. The existing data on the cell needs to be erased before any data can be added back?but this takes valuable time and could slow things down. This is why SATA-capable SSDs can use TRIM. TRIM is a command that informs the SSD which data blocks can be erased, helping extend the life of the drive and making the entire process more efficient. SSDs have an internal operation called garbage collection where valid data is moved from a block that contains data to be deleted. TRIM adds to this process by preventing discarded or otherwise invalidated data from being copied, allowing the SSD to ignore certain data points during garbage collection and thereby reducing the number of write cycles the SSD will be subject to. This all happens in the background, too, so you can keep working with the confidence that you?ll have the storage space you?ll need. If you?re using Windows, TRIM is enabled by default, replacing Disk Defragmenter. Can You Trust that Your Data is Really Gone? Unfortunately, the answer can be more challenging than you?d expect. In an attempt to preserve the longevity of the SSD, the SSD will fib to the OS a little bit in terms of which data blocks are available so that the different cells age at the same rate. This is called wear-leveling, and makes it totally plausible that certain blocks weren?t really trimmed through TRIM, simply because the SSD is trying to preserve itself. In addition, TRIM involves some buffer space, which could very well contain recent data as well. So, You Can Sometimes Be Somewhat Confident that Your Data is Deleted (but Not Really) Don?t get us wrong, your files will generally be deleted. However, you can only be so sure about that?and don?t get us started on security. This is all critical to keep in mind when you?re planning to dispose of a device, particularly when you plan to donate it or resell it. Lean On Us for Assistance with Your Hardware Refreshes While upgrading your business? technology is a great way to ensure it […]
