Portland IT & Cybersecurity Blog
Krispy Kreme Cyberattack: Preparing for Business Disruption
Krispy Kreme reported unauthorized activity on its systems on November 29, 2024, which disrupted online ordering in parts of the United States while stores stayed open. The company said the incident could have a material impact and that it had brought in outside cybersecurity experts and notified federal law enforcement. It also said it expected…
Starbucks Faces Payment Disruptions After Vendor Ransomware Attack
A Bitter Brew: Starbucks Caught in the Crossfire of a Cyberattack In a recent turn of events, Starbucks, the global coffee giant, has found itself entangled in the aftermath of a ransomware attack on one of its third-party vendors. This cyber incident has led to significant disruptions in the company’s ability to pay its baristas…
Apple Addresses Critical Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Affecting Intel-Based Macs
Apple has addressed two critical zero-day vulnerabilities that were actively exploited by attackers to target Intel-based Macs. The flaws resided in macOS Sequoia’s JavaScriptCore (CVE-2024-44308) and WebKit (CVE-2024-44309) components. The more severe vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-44308, could enable attackers to execute malicious code remotely via specially crafted web content. By contrast, the other flaw (CVE-2024-44309)…
Part 2 with our special guest Victoria Dean – Story Time with Victoria Dean
Join us for Part 2 of our Breaking Down I.T. podcast as we sit down with Victoria Dean, a seasoned IT professional from TAK Consulting. In this episode, we dive deep into the world of IT and business, sharing firsthand experiences and valuable insights. Victoria takes us on a nostalgic journey, recounting tales of hosting…
Cisco Breach Claims: Supply Chain Risk Lessons for Small Business
In October 2024 a threat actor known as IntelBroker claimed to have breached Cisco and taken data that allegedly included source code, credentials, certificates and customer information. Claims like this can be hard to verify, and the full extent was still being investigated when it was reported. Whatever the final facts, the story shows how…
How Managed IT Helps Portland Businesses Reduce Data Breach Risk
Every large breach in the news raises the same question for a small business owner: could this happen to us? No provider can promise zero risk, but a managed approach reduces it considerably by covering the basics consistently. Here is what that looks like in practice. 1. Assessment and vulnerability management Start by finding out…
Globe Life Extortion Breach: What Small Businesses Should Take Away
Globe Life, a life and health insurer, reported that it was being extorted by an attacker who had stolen customer data from a subsidiary, American Income Life. The company said the data included personal information such as names, addresses and in some cases Social Security numbers, plus health and policy details, and that about 5,000…
Four Cybersecurity Myths That Put Small Businesses at Risk
Cybersecurity advice is full of noise, and a few persistent myths leave small businesses with a false sense of safety. Here are four we hear in Portland offices, and the more accurate picture. Myth 1: Cybersecurity is one product Security is layers: patching, multi-factor authentication, email filtering, endpoint protection, backups, user training and monitoring. Any…
Four Employee Habits That Create Cyber Risk (and How to Coach Them)
Most security incidents involve a person at some point: a click, a reused password, an unlocked laptop. That is not a reason to blame staff. It is a reason to understand the habits that create risk and to coach them. These four patterns show up in almost every office. The skeptic The skeptic believes attacks…