Across the healthcare field, data security is a top priority. From HIPAA laws designed to secure sensitive patient data to other safeguards, healthcare facilities have a responsibility to keep them safe. Unfortunately, there is simply too much information to take advantage of in the healthcare field — and hackers are doing just that. At ReliableSite, we've frequently discussed the necessity of dedicated servers and other security safeguards in healthcare. While the industry has made some strides, there is still a severe need for change, which is apparent by recent healthcare data breaches affecting California's Community Medical Centers Healthcare (CMC) Network. What Happened at California's Community Medical Centers Healthcare Network? In October of 2021, CMC discovered a major data breach that compromised the data of more than 650,000 patients in their system. Consequently, this data breach forced CMC's communications systems offline for more than three weeks. It was later discovered that

You might be familiar with ransomware attacks and phishing scams, both of which have become increasingly common in recent years. However, one type of attack that you may not have heard of is vishing. Unfortunately, vishing attacks have been on the rise in recent months — and more people are falling victim to them. What is vishing, and what are the dangers of this type of attack? What steps can you take to protect yourself? We've got all the answers to these questions and more below. What is Vishing? Even if you haven't explicitly heard the term "vishing" before, there's a good chance you already understand the concept. Specifically, vishing is an attack that aims to trick you into providing your personal/sensitive information to scammers over the phone. This could include anything from credit card and bank information to personal data, such as a Social Security number or a password.

Sadly, there is no shortage of security threats lurking around the web. In fact, with new threats emerging seemingly daily, it can be challenging to keep up. One of the latest security risks to be aware of is the password spraying attack. This type of attack has become increasingly common in recent years – to the point that the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued advisories on this threat in 2022. What is Password Spraying? Specifically, a password spraying attack is a type of brute force attack involving picking one potential password and logging in across numerous accounts. This allows the attacker to try common passwords (such as default passwords often issued by third-party applications and programs) on an endless number of accounts without getting "locked out" for multiple failed login attempts. In a password spraying attack, one password may be used to access multiple accounts before the attacker

No news is often good news in the cybersecurity world, so you rarely hear "success stories" related to DDoS attacks. However, DDoS attacks are thwarted on a fairly regular basis when the right security measures are in place. In fact, Microsoft reportedly stopped a huge DDoS attack in October 2021 that could have caused severe damage. Unfortunately for Microsoft, a host of security vulnerabilities continue to plague their cloud services, which is why more people are making the switch to dedicated hosting. More About the Attempted DDoS Attack Microsoft Azure’s cloud-based service was hit with an attempted DDoS attack in October of 2021. According to Microsoft, the size of this attack was massive – 2.4 terabits per second. This would make it the second-largest DDoS attack ever logged, according to Catalin Cimpanu of The Record. Microsoft reported that the attack came in a series of three waves across the span

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have been on the rise for years. Not only has the size and scope of these attacks grown, but they have been occurring with greater frequency as well. And unfortunately, it seems as though nobody is safe from these types of attacks and the havoc they can wreak. In fact, the Sinclair Broadcast Group was hit by a major DDoS attack in October of 2021, resulting in major network disruptions and data loss. More About the Sinclair Broadcast Group Attack The Sinclar Broadcast Group, which has headquarters in Maryland, operates dozens of television stations across the country. In October of 2021, the broadcast group's servers were reportedly hit by a huge DDoS attack that resulted in numerous network outages and technical issues across some of its TV stations. Likewise, some servers were hit with a ransomware attack that compromised some of the company's sensitive

It's no secret that having a data backup strategy is more important than ever before, especially in the wake of increasing security threats online. However, one of the greatest challenges people and businesses face when developing a data backup strategy is simply knowing where their information is being stored. Enter data mapping. By having a solid understanding of what data mapping entails and how it can be used to improve your backup strategy, you can take the steps necessary to keep your information safe. What Is Data Mapping? Data mapping is a process that involves carefully identifying what information you have stored and where these files are located. Data mapping also refers to how long files and data may be held on certain systems before being moved elsewhere or deleted. Often, the process of mapping data involves sitting down with other members of your organization and listing out different types

Internet of Things (IoT) devices seem to be everywhere you look these days. In your own home, you'll find them in the form of your smart doorbell, digital assistant (Amazon Alexa or Google Home), and other small devices that are connected to your Wi-Fi network. IoT devices can make our lives easier in many ways, but with the rise of IoT botnet attacks, they're also complicating our digital security, creating significant vulnerabilities. What Is an IoT Botnet? An IoT botnet attack refers to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that is carried out using an army of compromised IoT devices. All too often, IoT devices have weak security settings; users of these devices don't take the proper precautions to protect these accounts because they figure, "Who's going to hack into my smart speaker?" Unfortunately, when a large number of IoT devices are compromised, they can be pooled together to

If you use a Linux dedicated server, you probably enjoy the greater sense of control and freedom that comes along with this type of hosting plan. However, with more freedom comes an inherent responsibility to secure your server and follow some basic security best practices to keep your data and account safe. One of the most important things you can do to protect your hosting account and its associated data is to disable external root login. By better understanding what external root login is and why it should be avoided, you can make more confident decisions to secure your account. What Is External Root Login? On Linux servers, a "root" refers to the superuser account on the operating system itself. This account has the highest access rights on the system because it is designed for administrative purposes. Root users on a Linux operating system (OS) can do things that other

Whether you like to play games on your phone, tablet, or home computer, the unfortunate reality is that gaming platforms are more susceptible than ever to attacks. Specifically, recent web security studies have found that mobile games are becoming a major target for phishing attacks. These attacks, when successfully executed, can compromise sensitive data (including gaming log-in information and even payment data). So, why are these apps becoming so vulnerable to threats – and what can you do to keep your information safer while you play your favorite games? Read on to learn more. Why Are Gaming Apps Vulnerable? A mobile security firm known as Wandera conducted a study on phishing attacks in 2017. The research found that games were the source of 25.6% of phishing attacks among a sampling of 100,000 devices tested. What makes gaming apps so vulnerable to phishing schemes? The main culprit is the fact that

Ransomware is not a new web threat; after all, these types of attacks have been around for many years. However, a relatively new ransomware attack known as Chaos has been wreaking serious havoc across the internet. By having a better understanding of what this threat is, what makes it unique, and how to protect yourself, you can keep your information safe and your site secure. Let’s take a closer look. What Is Chaos Ransomware? A traditional ransomware attack typically works by holding a victim's files and data "hostage" until a ransom is paid to the hackers. However, the new Chaos ransomware blends this traditional method with a wiper attack, which can have devastating consequences for victims. While Chaos still seems to be under some form of development by its creators, this attack is advertised as advanced ransomware that deletes or replaces the victim's files with random bytes. It is also