GoldeN Rules- 13

 

Simplify IT concepts for non-technical users.

 

While IT professionals are familiar with terms like botnets, DDoS attacks, drive-by downloads, and spear phishing campaigns, many users may not be. It's crucial to make things easy to understand.

 

Think of it this way: imagine explaining complex ideas to a 5-year-old. That's the approach we should take when explaining cyber security to non-technical folks. We want to break it down into simple terms that anyone can grasp.

 

If you or your users need a handy reference, I recommend checking out this glossary of cyber security terms on TechAdvisory.com. It can be a great resource for understanding the jargon and making the topic more approachable.

Why it matters:

1. Reduces confusion: Users understand what to do and why.

2. Improves compliance: Easier for users to follow security or IT policies.

3. Boosts productivity: Less time wasted explaining or troubleshooting misunderstandings.

4. Enhances support efficiency: Fewer back-and-forth questions for IT staff.

5. Builds trust: Users feel confident interacting with IT systems.

Key Practices:

• Avoid jargon or acronyms; use simple, everyday words.

• Use analogies or examples to explain complex concepts.

• Provide step-by-step instructions with screenshots or visuals.

• Confirm understanding by asking users to repeat steps in their own words.

• Keep documentation concise and visually clear.

Cybercrime Statistics 2023

As you will see, unlike most horror movie franchises that get progressively less frightening year after year (and eventually become silly), the story here has become even more terrifying.

• Approximately 43% of cyberattacks target SMBs. [Source]
• 60% of SMBs experienced at least one cyberattack in the last year, and 18% of them experienced six or more. [Source]
• 67% of SMBs said that they are more concerned about IT security now than a year ago. [Source]
• 32% of SMBs are allocating less than 5% of their IT budget towards IT security, which is below the recommended minimum amount. [Source]
• The average cyberattack insurance claim cost for SMBs is now $139,000 per claim (all figures in this article are USD), which is more than double the 2021 level. [Source]
• Cyber insurance premium costs have increased by an average of 28%, and many companies are finding it harder to get coverage. [Source]
• The financial toll of a cyberattack on SMBs now ranges from $120,000 to $1.24 million per incident, depending on factors such as the number of compromised records involved. [Source]
• The financial toll of a cyberattack on larger organizations has climbed to $4.54 million per incident — the highest number ever recorded. [Source]
• The number of malware attacks has reached 5.5 billion per year, which is 2% higher than the previous year. [Source]
• Zero-hour threats, which exploit vulnerabilities before they are known and patched, now account for 54% of all threats. [Source]
• Over 850,000 domain names per year are now reported for phishing. [Source]
• 71% of businesses say they have fallen victim to ransomware attacks. [Source]
• Approximately 50,000 websites are hacked each day, and there is an attack on a website every 39 seconds. [Source]
• 18% of all websites are alleged to contain critical severity threats, and 4.1 million websites contain malware at any given time. [Source]
• 17% of all cyberattacks are Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, in which hackers try and trick corporate victims into sending money or divulging confidential company information. [Source]
• 74% of organizations are at least moderately vulnerable to insider threats. [Source]
• The average ransomware payment has surged to $4.4 million. [Source]
• It takes an average of 277 days — or roughly 9 months — for businesses to identify and report a data breach. [Source]
• The number of IoT malware attacks annually reported has reached 112.3 million instances — an 87% year-over-year increase. [Source]
• The global cost of cybercrime is predicted to reach $8 trillion annually in 2023. [Source]

Source

Monitor ESET Antivirus Administrative console

Log in to : https://xxxxxx

User name: administrator Password is: xxxxxx

Under Antivirus Detections tab, monitor Daily summary of detection events in last 30 days

To get details about virus click on number and " show Detailed information" windows will appear

New window will open with detection details

Professional level of protection, even when the services you use could be breached. ( Golden Rule )

 Hey there,

I couldn't help but notice that Twitter has been in the spotlight once again due to a security breach. This time, around 235 million users' email addresses, phone numbers, and Twitter handles were exposed. This situation got me thinking about the steps you should take to protect your anonymity online, especially when the services you use could potentially be compromised. 

The golden rule to remember is: if you want to stay anonymous online, don't provide enough information to a single service that could jeopardize your anonymity should a breach occur. That means, don't give out a phone number or email address that can be traced back to you. If a service requires a phone number to set up your account, opt for an online service that provides a temporary, disposable number. Once your account is set up, ensure you establish real 2FA (like a security key or TOTP), and remember to generate and save recovery codes. After doing this, you can remove the phone number.

When it comes to your email address, create a new one and use it exclusively for signing up for the service. Never send any emails from it and don't give it out to anyone. By following these steps, a single service breach won't compromise your anonymity.

However, if staying anonymous is very important to you, then these measures might not be sufficient. Below are some additional steps you can take to ensure your online security:

1. Don't use the same anonymous email account for multiple services. Instead, create a separate email account for each service. This way, breaches at multiple services won't allow anyone to correlate your identities across them.

2. Avoid configuring the email account to forward emails to your real address. Doing this could link your anonymous email account to your real address if the email service provider is breached.

3. Avoid logging into the temporary phone number service or the anonymous email account from an IP address that can be traced back to you. Use a reputable VPN with privacy guarantees, so that the IP address your logins come from is shared by many other people and can't be traced back to you. 

4. Be careful when logging in to the temporary phone number service or the anonymous email account over a public wifi network, as it could potentially compromise your anonymity.

5. Try to only log into the service you're trying to remain anonymous on from public wifi.

Use an ad/tracker blocker in your browser on your computer and phone. uBlock  and Blokada are good choices.

Remember, protecting your identity is crucial in this digital age. Stay safe online!

Best,

Alex

Suppression rules may be edited to unintentionally suppress more alerts in the Microsoft Defender 365 portal

 User impact: Suppression rules may be edited to unintentionally suppress more alerts in the Microsoft Defender 365 portal.

  Current status: We've determined that a code regression is inadvertently causing edited suppression rules to unintentionally suppress more alerts in the Microsoft Defender 365 portal. In an attempt to prevent further impact, we've introduced validation logic which will prevent users from saving invalid rules which we suspect is causing impact. To further mitigate impact, we're working on a fix to address existing impact from rules already created that have suppressed other alerts. Scope of impact: Impact is specific to users who are served through the affected infrastructure. Root cause: A code regression is inadvertently causing edited suppression rules to unintentionally suppress more alerts in the Microsoft Defender 365 portal.

Golden rule - 12

 RTFM

Read documentation to the end before you do. Take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee (or your preferred beverage), and dive into that documentation like a fearless adventurer. Trust me, it'll save you a ton of time and frustration in the long run.

Meaning:
Before asking for help or trying to troubleshoot a problem, read the official documentation or manuals for the product, system, or software. Most issues are already covered there.

Why it matters:

1. Saves time: Reduces trial-and-error and unnecessary support requests.

2. Builds knowledge: Helps you understand the system more deeply.

3. Encourages self-reliance: Strengthens problem-solving skills.

4. Reduces mistakes: Prevents misconfiguration or misuse of systems.

5. Improves efficiency: You can implement solutions faster with documented guidance.

Key Practices:

• Always check the official docs first (vendor manuals, knowledge bases, internal guides).

• Search for FAQs and troubleshooting sections before experimenting.

• Keep a personal reference of useful guides for quick access.

• Combine reading with testing—understand concepts, then try them safely.

Friendly Reminder:

RTFM doesn’t mean “don’t ask for help” — it means do your homework first, so when you do need help, the question is informed and precise.

How To Use Check Fish Scanner -An AI-powered scanner that analyzes the safety of URLs right from your inbox.

 

How To Use Check Fish Scanner

CheckPhish Scanner for Outlook is an AI-powered scanner that analyzes the safety of URLs right from your inbox.

Find your add-in under Home tab > Get Add-ins > Admin-managed > CheckPhish Scanner for Outlook

Right now it is implemented in few computers, once it will be implementen in all Teams Transport organization, you will receive email ( please see picture)

Once Check Phish Scanner plug in implemented in your cmpuer ( it will be unatendet implementation) you need manualy click on fish icon, to scan suspecious email.

Scan done per one email that you choose to scan, in your mailbox. It wont work in shared mailboxes.