The increasing number of employees working from home due to the pandemic has heightened a problem for Pacific-West Fastener Association members, a cybersecurity consultant said in a webinar.

“As employees work offsite, we are more vulnerable to cyber attacks,” Jeff White of WTC IT Services told Pac-West.

Indeed, Pac-West members have been attacked, White said without naming specific companies.  

The average cost to the business owner is $84,116, White said.  The City of Lafayette paid $45,000, while the University of California / San Francisco paid $1.14 million.

Ransomware is malware used to obtain and publish the victim’s data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.  Variations of ransomware have multiplied 50 times since 2017, White said.

Businesses are being attacked at a pace of once every 11 seconds.

So what’s a business owner to do?

“Train, review and test employees,” White urged.

The days of “one location, one owner” are past, White observed.  “I’m small, I can’t worry about that” rarely applies.

Conducting a Pac-West webinar on “What mask does your technology wear?” White cautioned Pac-West members that employees working from home increase security problems with multiple devices. 

“Protect everything,” White declared.

  • The most important step is to train employees on cybersecurity.  Identify spam and malware.  Employees need to understand “password hygiene” and “power down, power off electronics when not in use.”  It isn’t just their cell phone or laptop, White emphasized.  Today those are connected to smart refrigerators, thermostats and baby monitors.  Homes become “branches of your business,” White observed.
  • At the office, employees are near a shredder.  At home the same papers go into the recycling bin, White noted.
  • Employees’ phones or laptops might be used on a Starbuck’s patio or at a child’s dance class.
  • Conduct timely audits on electronics being used for your business, White advised.  Control those devices and connections.
  • Invest in appropriate firewalls.  
  • Monitor traffic and control or block access.
  • Businesses need a strong anti-virus program for all connected devices and an audit system for proper use.
  • “What backup system solutions do you have?  How many hours can you afford to be down?”
  • Update licenses for everything such as smart hardware, printers and fax machines.

Pacific-West member business owners cover a lot of platforms, White pointed out.  

While government is the most common ransomware victim, manufacturing and construction are next, White said.  Eight out of 10 ransomware demands are for money.

White advised paying attention to signs of trouble.  

“Things slowing down, can’t open windows?”  Web: VirtualEdgeTechnology.com or Pac-West.org