AT&T Attack Reveals 73 Million Customer Records Exposed On The Dark Web

AT&T Attack Reveals 73 Million Customer Records Exposed On The Dark Web

by | May 15, 2024 | Newsletter

In a statement released by the largest telecommunications company in the United States, AT&T, they shared that they recently discovered a dataset for sale on the “dark web” that contained information for about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former users, totaling approximately 73 million affected accounts.                                                                                        
AT&T shared that the data released contained passcodes (PIN numbers) and Social Security numbers from 2019 or earlier and did not contain any other personal financial information or call history but could possibly include e-mail and mailing addresses, phone numbers and birthdates.                                  
AT&T has reached out to all customers via e-mail or mail to let them know of the breach and to reset their passcodes. If you’re an AT&T customer, it’s important to be highly critical of any e-mail asking you to change your password. Please make sure it is from AT&T, as it’s suspected other cybercriminals will attempt to capitalize on this issue and send out fake e-mails with malicious links, hoping someone will click on them. If you’re concerned it’s a fake e-mail, call AT&T support and ask them to send another reset link while you’re on the phone.                                                                                 
As for the cause of the breach, it’s still unknown whether the data breach originated from AT&T or one of its vendors, but AT&T has launched an investigation and will likely hire computer forensics specialists to find the cause of the incident.                                                                                                              
The organization will also have to scrub any installed malware out of the software that runs its customer account system without disrupting unaffected customers’ service. Between the investigation, cleaning up the issues, lawsuits, legal fees and more, this will be an expensive issue to solve.                                                                                                                                                                                  
That’s why at Techspert, we talk about being proactive with cybersecurity so often. While no solution is 100% impenetrable, most are strong enough to keep the majority of hackers out. It is way more costly to deal with the effects of a cyber-attack than it is to prevent one in the first place.                 
If you’re concerned about the safety of your organization, request a FREE Security Assessment from our team of cybersecurity experts. We’ll analyze your network so you can see if there are exposed entry points in your network that hackers could use to break in. We’ll also advise on how to work with third-party vendors to ensure your and your customers’ data is as secure as possible.                           

Hackers will do whatever it takes to break into your network. Your job as the CEO is to do whatever it takes to keep them out. We are here to help! Click here to book your Security Risk Assessment with one of our cybersecurity experts, or call our office at 216-800-7888.

Cyber Attack Takes Omni Hotels and Resorts Offline. Here Is How To Travel Safely

Cyber Attack Takes Omni Hotels and Resorts Offline. Here Is How To Travel Safely

by | May 1, 2024 | Newsletter

Another day, another cyber-attack! In early April, Omni Hotels & Resorts was the victim of a cyber-attack that brought down the entire IT system and led to a company-wide outage. The organization took immediate action and brought the entire network offline to isolate the issue, protect its data and prevent further damage from occurring. Unfortunately, this process heavily impacted the hotel’s operations and day-to-day functions, such as managing reservations, unlocking hotel room doors manually and using point-of-sale (POS) systems in restaurants and shops within the hotel. Some estimates expect this attack to cost the Omni over a million dollars. While unconfirmed by the hotel, several sources speculate that the type of cyber-attack was a ransomware attack similar to what happened to MGM in Las Vegas several months ago.
While most customers were aware of the inconveniences of the Omni outage, many weren’t aware of the dangers associated with cyber-attacks. When a network is compromised, unless you have high-grade tools to protect you, every device you connect to is put at risk. When you’re traveling, it’s important to treat everything like a risk to ensure your safety. In today’s article, we’re sharing a couple of tips to keep you safe when you’re on the road for work or even on vacation this summer.
  1. Don’t connect to the public Wi-Fi in the hotel. Truthfully, this also applies to coffee shops, airport lounges, etc. If a network is compromised and you connect to it, you could be giving hackers access to your devices.
  2. Turn off the auto-connect feature. Even if you don’t actively connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, if a hacker has set up a fake Wi-Fi network and your device auto-connects to it, that could be a big problem. Shut the feature off and only manually connect to sources you trust.
  3. Use your phone’s hotspot. Instead of connecting to public Wi-Fi, most cell phones come equipped with a hotspot that allows your other devices to connect to your phone’s internet. If not, one call to your wireless provider can often add this feature.
These tips will help protect you, but if you travel for work or have employees who travel for work, it’s important that all work devices have professional-grade cybersecurity tools installed on them. You don’t want to send your sales team to a hotel-hosted trade show, and instead of bringing back a list of leads, they bring back malware that could shut down your company altogether.
There is one final lesson in this terrible incident that all SERVICE AREA business owners need to understand: No matter the size of the company, you can still be the victim of a cyber-attack. The Omni chain, which boasts over 50 properties nationwide, would likely have a large budget to defend itself from cyber-attacks and yet still fall victim to hackers. No system is 100% impenetrable, but small business owners who don’t have any security measures in place are putting a big red target on their backs.
If you don’t have a cybersecurity system in place, or if you do and someone else is managing it but you’d like a second opinion, we offer a FREE Security Risk Assessment. This assessment will go over every area of your network to identify if and where you are vulnerable to an attack and propose solutions to fix it.
Click here to book your Security Risk Assessment with one of our cybersecurity experts, or call our office at 216-800-7800.
What is bad IT support costing your business?

What is bad IT support costing your business?

by | Apr 24, 2024 | Newsletter

In our technology-driven world, efficient IT support is the backbone of any successful business. From ensuring seamless operations to safeguarding sensitive data, reliable IT services are crucial for maintaining productivity and protecting your bottom line. However, not all IT support is created equal, and the cost of settling for subpar services can result in expensive consequences for your business. Bad IT service can negatively affect employee productivity, customer happiness and operational efficiency and quickly eat into your profits. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the hidden costs of bad IT support and how it could be impacting your business in ways you might not have considered.

 

Unresolved Recurring Issues

IT issues that aren’t properly resolved are like untreated wounds that fester over time. For example, one person’s poor password habits can become a company-wide issue that later results in an expensive ransomware attack when a hacker finds a weak link.

Recurring IT issues also drain company resources. Without addressing the root cause of the issues, the problems will persist, leading to ongoing costs.

 

Sloppy Systems And Processes

Your IT team can take tasks off your plate, like getting new employees access to the files, software and programs they need to do their job and revoking access when an employee leaves the company. If the procedures are not followed or outlined properly, your company’s processes will not run as efficiently as they should, costing you time and money, and it could open up big security risks to your company.

 

Unexpected Downtime

Operational inefficiencies aside, what’s the cost if you CAN’T do business? Not just the loss of potential sales, but the cost of employees sitting stagnant, staring at the wall and scrolling on their phones while your IT guy is trying to get your network back up.

If you have 20 employees at an average pay of $25 an hour and your system is down for three hours, you might as well light $1,500 on fire. Now, what if this is happening one, two, even three or more times a month? Add in the potential loss of sales and fees for emergency IT support, and the total for each outage will quickly add up to a sizable chunk of change you’re letting fall right through your pocket.

 

Security Breaches

If a negligent or inexperienced IT professional leaves gaps in your security system, you could be vulnerable to a cyber-attack. There is no limit to what this could cost your business if client data or financial data is leaked, stolen or exploited. Legal fees, fines and downtime from cyber-attacks have put thousands of companies out of business because the owners weren’t able to get out from under them. It is critical to the future of your business that you work with an IT professional who knows what you need to be compliant in your industry and secure from the latest threats.

 

These issues are only the tip of the iceberg. If you’d like us to take a closer look at what you’re getting for what you’re paying, to make sure you’re not exposed to risks and are operating as efficiently as possible, we’re happy to do so.

 

To schedule a free 10-minute discovery call to see how we can get rid of your tech issues once and for all, go to https://go.appointmentcore.com/book or call us at 216-800-7800.

 
How Cleveland Manufacturing Businesses Can Easily Eliminate Tech Problems

How Cleveland Manufacturing Businesses Can Easily Eliminate Tech Problems

by | Apr 17, 2024 | Newsletter

Now more than ever, we rely on technology to run our businesses and our lives. When the “Internet goes down,” most businesses come to a standstill until they are back online, costing thousands in lost productivity and sales. A perfect example would be the AT&T outage that happened a few weeks ago, when an estimated 1.7 million customers, including small business owners, lost service. No phones, no Internet. Could you afford your business being down for minutes, hours or even days? The answer is likely no.

Downtime is one way bad IT support can disrupt your business, but it’s not the ONLY issue. Big problems like recovering deleted files, removing malware and constantly monitoring and patching your network, and small irritations like getting file access, resetting forgotten passwords and repairing broken printers, can stack up over time and affect productivity.

That is why you must have a way to get back up and running quickly should something happen – or even a way to ELIMINATE tech problems before they start.

Unfortunately, paying through the nose for IT that can’t troubleshoot its way out of a paper bag is more common than you’d hope. These so-called “IT Wizards” who promised you top-notch support for bargain-basement prices are sitting around using their magic wands as backscratchers, waiting for YOU to let THEM know something has gone wrong. It has to stop. That’s why we’ve put together a list of fundamental and necessary requirements that ANYONE who’s working on your network should meet.

Check off all that apply:

  • Does your IT company answer their phone LIVE and respond to emergencies promptly within 5 minutes?
  • Is your IT company easy to reach and highly responsive (responding within an hour) when you need them for non-emergencies?
  • Do you know if your IT company proactively monitors, patches and updates your computer network’s critical security settings daily? Weekly? At all? How do you know for sure? Hint: Most don’t!
  • Does your IT company offer proof that they are backing up ALL your data, laptops and devices?
  • Does your IT company meet with you regularly (at least once a quarter) to report on what they’ve been doing, review projects and offer new ways to improve your network’s performance instead of waiting until you have a problem to make recommendations?
  • Does your IT company provide detailed invoices that clearly explain what you are paying for?
  • Does your IT company explain what they are doing and answer your questions in terms you can understand, NOT in “geek-speak,” and routinely ask if there’s anything else they can help with, no matter how small?
  • Does your IT company proactively discuss cyber security with you, make recommendations for protecting your network from ransomware and offer training videos so your employees don’t fall victim to a scam?
  • Has your IT company provided you with complete network documentation or do they hold the “keys to the kingdom,” refusing to give you admin passwords, so you’re totally helpless if something goes wrong and you can’t get a hold of them?
  • Do techs arrive on time and dress professionally, and do you look forward to working with them, or do you cringe every time you have to make that call?

If your current IT company, technician or “IT guy” does NOT check the boxes on every point, you could be – and most likely are – paying for substandard support.

This oversight could not only jeopardize your data and your network’s security but also cost you thousands in lost productivity because you and your employees are spending time dealing with problems that shouldn’t exist, but if something goes awry, you’re going to be the one everyone blames.

If that’s the case, then it’s time you see what else is out there and make sure you’re getting what you pay for. Anything less is a liability to your business.

To schedule a free 10-minute discovery call to see how we can get rid of your tech issues, go to Discovery Call With Techspert Data Services or call us at 216-800-7888.

5 Things To Do Immediately When You Get Hacked

5 Things To Do Immediately When You Get Hacked

by | Apr 10, 2024 | Newsletter

The initial reaction when you suspect your computer or network has been compromised is to panic. However, if your network has been breached, what you do next can make the difference between the incident being a minor inconvenience and being a devastating disaster that brings legal trouble and huge fines, and halts your ability to do business.


In today’s article, we’ve consulted our cyber security experts on the top signs of an affected computer and the five steps you need to take as soon as you notice your network has been compromised to prevent as much irreversible damage as possible.


Signs Of An Issue

According to IBM’s latest cyber security report, the average data breach goes 277 days before it’s noticed and reported. This time frame sounds crazy considering that attacks using malware, viruses, keylogging tools and more can cause a considerable amount of damage very quickly, but most users miss the warning signs and don’t realize they’re under attack until irreversible damage has occurred.


Several of the biggest indicators of an issue can be mistaken for a slow or outdated computer or operating system. If you experience any of these issues, it’s a good idea to contact your IT team. If it’s an attack, they’ll know the proper steps to take, and if it’s not, they’ll be able to update your system or replace your device to improve performance. Here are a few key signs your computer could be infected:

  • Slow computer or network performance
  • Frequent freezes or sudden crashes
  • Rapid pop-ups
  • Locked user accounts
  • Sudden and unexpected file changes
  • Abnormal system behavior, such as the device continuing to run after a shutdown
  • Unusual account activity

What To Do Next

If you’re experiencing any of these issues, the next steps you take are important. Here is what our team of experts recommends:


1. Take the network offline to isolate the incident, but DO NOT turn off the device or reboot it.

When a device isn’t working the way it should, the go-to move is to hit Restart. In many scenarios, that maneuver can work; however, if malware is involved, this simple act can make the situation worse. In some circumstances, rebooting your device can set in motion a crashed file-encryption process that can cause unrecoverable data loss. Disconnect your device from the network but allow it to remain on as you move through the next steps.


2. Call your IT team IMMEDIATELY.

It’s important to contain the breach before it infects the rest of your network or causes any more damage. Your IT team will be able to investigate the issue to determine what went wrong and what the impact was, and mitigate the breach quickly. Do not try to fix this on your own. Attempting to run a “system cleanup” or your antivirus software will waste time and could cause more damage. Call in the experts.


3. Call your attorney.

There are several reasons to call your attorney. Depending on the size of the breach, your attorney may refer you to outside legal counsel with privacy and data security expertise who can advise you on the federal and state laws that may be implicated by the data breach.


4. Change passwords and secure all accounts.

As the IT team is working on containing the breach, you’ll want to change your passwords to protect any of your other accounts that may not have been affected yet. Hopefully you have multifactor authentication enabled and will be notified if someone tries to access your account, but if not, begin working through your accounts to secure them, starting with ones that contain financial information like credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and more.

5. Check your bank accounts.

Nearly all cyber-attacks are financially motivated, making bank accounts the primary target. As the breach is being mitigated, check your bank accounts and payment processing tools, including third-party merchant accounts and employee payroll systems, for any anomalies or sudden changes.


If you’re hit by a cyber-attack, there will be a list of other steps to take, like implementing a PR communications plan, notifying appropriate parties such as law enforcement and more. The most important thing you can do if a data breach occurs is to isolate the incident and hand it over to a qualified cyber security professional as soon as possible. Time matters in these situations.


If you need a reliable, trustworthy cyber security team monitoring your business, start with a FREE Cyber Security Risk Assessment. These assessments are designed to thoroughly examine your network to pinpoint any vulnerabilities and map out a plan to fix them. It is much more cost-effective to prevent a cyber-attack than to fix one, so book your assessment today by going to Thank You – Initial Consultation | Techspert Data Services (techspert-data.com) or calling 216-800-7888.