Predictably, there have been reports of fake Equifax settlement websites in the wake of Equifax announcing their settlement. In order to prevent having your data stolen or your computer infiltrated with malware, it would be wise to take the following precautions:

• Double-check the website address and the URL. The correct starting point recommended by the FTC is https://ftc.gov/Equifax. While checking the URL, be on the lookout for any typos or other minor discrepancies. The following URL should be the one you see for the web page mentioned above. https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/equifax-data-breach-settlement. If you were to type in Equifax settlement in Google and a similar URL came up with a misspelled word or missing punctuation such as “gov.enforcement” instead of “gov/enforcement” you should NOT use that website to file your claim.
• Beware of phishing emails or phone calls from criminals claiming to be Equifax or government officials asking you for personal information or payments. It is free to file and process your Equifax settlement claim, so if someone is asking for a payment, it’s illegitimate.

If you have any questions or concerns about fake websites or phishing email scams, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit either of our websites at www.optfinity.com or www.perusity.com.

If you were one of the 147 million people affected by the Equifax data breach that occurred back in 2017, now is the time to file your claim to receive compensation according to a recent CNET article. If you aren’t sure whether or not you were affected by the breach, you can go to the FTC and official settlement site and use their online tool.

Everyone has until January 22, 2020 to file their claim and receive up to $125 for credit monitoring fees, and up to $20,000 to compensate for money spent to recover from the breach. As the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan area’s leading MSP and Cybersecurity expert, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400 if you have any questions or concerns about cybercriminal activity that may be threatening your organization.

NOTE:  MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON THE LEGITIMATE WEBSITE. There have been many fraudulent websites created in the wake of the announcement of the Equifax settlement.

There are many precautions that you’ve probably already read about that employees can take to prevent putting their organization at risk of a breach. Precautions such as not clicking on phishing emails or suspicious links, or using weak passwords are frequent topics of discussion in the world of cybersecurity. One topic, however, that doesn’t appear to be get enough attention, is employees’ careless use of social media while at work and the company information they could be handing to cybercriminals on a silver platter. A recent fastcompany.com article discusses how to be more cognizant of your social media activity while sharing work related posts.

The culprits who expose company information on social media tend to be the younger generation who grew up with social media as a part of their everyday lives. They are accustomed to posting pictures, videos, and other updates of their personal life on the social media for everyone to see. Since a new job or internship is usually a big life event for someone, people will often post a picture of themselves with their new coworkers either inside their office or while wearing their badges, or both, with a hashtag such as #newjob. This makes it very easy for cybercriminals to search a hashtag and immediately gain access to confidential information such as badge numbers or even company plans written out on whiteboards in the background. Employees also give criminals access by way of video; for instance, when they record their entire workday and upload it as their Instagram story. Finally, posting complaints on public websites gives cybercriminals great phishing email content. For example, if everyone is complaining about company benefits, a criminal would craft an email announcing a new companywide benefit package with an attachment titled “Description of Benefits,” and more than likely get someone to click, giving the hacker access to the network.

The best way to prevent criminals from accessing company information is through awareness and training. OptfinITy and PerusITy both offer extremely effective cybersecurity training and awareness programs. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, give us a call at 571-370-5777 (PerusITy) or 703-790-0400 (OptfinITy), or visit our websites at www.perusity.com or www.optfinity.com respectively.

We’ve all at some point in time had to stop working on an important project or playing a fun game because our laptop battery runs out and we’re not near an outlet. Given that at least for the time being, there won’t always be a charging station available where you would like to do some work or browse the internet, it’s helpful to know how to maximize your laptop battery’s lifespan. While all batteries naturally deteriorate over time, here are a few ways to keep your laptop battery “healthy” and enhance its longevity.

1. Don’t leave your battery completely drained and never keep it plugged in once it’s fully charged.
2. Refrain from exposing your battery to temperature extremes, high or low. Keep between 41 and 70 degrees, Fahrenheit.
3. If you are going to keep your laptop plugged into a power source for a long period of time, remove the battery to prevent damage caused by the heat from being plugged in.
4. Never store your battery for long periods of time, for this can result in extreme discharge. If you plan to store away your battery for a few weeks, recharge it to 40% and remove it from your laptop.
5. Last but not least, don’t drop it! Batteries are constructed of sensitive materials and any physical shock can affect the long-term performance.

OptfinITy has been working with small businesses and organizations for over 18 years and helping them to find the best technology to optimize operations and productivity. If you have any questions about laptop recommendations or which technology is the best fit for your organization, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit us on the web at www.optfinity.com.

With cyberattacks becoming increasingly costly and frequent, organizations can no longer afford to not prioritize cybersecurity in their budget. We have seen attacks in the past few years ranging from small businesses and organizations to large cities. While larger organizations have the budget and resources to handle cybersecurity internally, smaller organizations usually do not. Luckily, the option of using an MSP (Managed IT Service Provider) is available for these smaller businesses so that they too can maintain the same high levels of cybersecurity as their larger counterparts.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute, the percentage of small businesses that experienced cyberattacks rose 6% in 2018, up to 67% from 61% the year before. Additionally, more than half of small businesses and organizations experienced a data breach in 2018 with catastrophic financial consequences of these attacks averaging between $1.43 million and $1.56 million in cost to operations.

While there are a variety of possible cyberattacks, the most common types are phishing schemes, malware, stolen devices and denial of service attacks. The most efficient and affordable way to combat these malicious threats is through partnering with an MSP. At OptfinITy, we provide proactive IT support that includes around the clock monitoring, threat prevention and elimination, firewall and network protection, and security awareness training. We also recently launched a new division dedicated to cybersecurity, PerusITy, that will focus on HIPAA compliance audits, vulnerability assessments, IT and security audits, security cameras, managed SOC, penetration testing and business continuity.

Taking initiative and locating cyber threats before they destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to build is the only way to prevent an attack on your business. While you likely don’t have the time required to effectively seek out and pinpoint these threats, OptfinITy can. We ensure high quality IT support by providing a dedicated group of IT professionals ready to assist you 24×7, but we also are more budget friendly than hiring an in-house IT department and our services are offered at a flat monthly rate. If you have and questions or would like to learn more about our managed IT services or our new cybersecurity division, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400.

The majority of us interact with some form of social media on a daily basis. Whether we use it for business or staying connected with friends, it is quickly becoming such an integral part of our daily lives. Given the growing constant prevalence of social media, an alarming statistic has arisen from a recent report from RSA security. The 2019 report, which was published in a recent CNET article, stated that fraud attacks on social media have increased by 43% in the past year. Cybercriminals have been carrying out criminal activities on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp due to their low costs and ease of use.

It’s easy to get overly comfortable with something you do, or use every day, but this recent rise in criminal activity across social media platforms should serve as a warning and reminder that cybercriminals are lurking. A few friendly reminders are as follows:

1. Always be suspicious of any solicitation that appears to be too good to be true, even if it comes from a friend, and run your mouse over links that are sent to you and make sure the URL matches up with the actual website of the vendor it claims to be directing you to.
2. Consider using an alternate phone number (which can be given to you via Google Voice or TextFree) when filling out contact information forms while making purchases. This will help prevent port-out scams and two-factor authentication fraud.
3. Use strong passwords. If you’re worried about remembering multiple complex passwords, consider using a password manager such as LastPass.

As always, OptfinITy is happy to answer any questions you may have regarding technology. If you have any questions or concerns about staying safe on social media, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400 or shoot us an email at info@optfinity.com.

With the dramatic increase in the use of mobile devices for business operations, it is important to make sure you have the company’s devices secured. Unfortunately, this apparently is not the case according to a recent itnews.com article. In this article, they have found that approximately 33% of businesses surveyed have experienced a data breach and/or were infected via mobile devices. This is up 5% from a year before and can be expected to continue to rise.

Why is this a recently growing problem? This recent increase can be attributed to both the business’s failure to maintain minimum levels of security for mobile devices or perceiving mobile devices as safer than other devices. With the increasing presence of malicious apps and rogue wireless hotspots, and the increased probability of falling for a phishing scam, mobile device users need to be trained and educated on the vulnerabilities associated with mobile devices. Organizations also need to take initiative and ensure their mobile security standards are on par with the cybersecurity standards for their other devices and not sacrifice mobile security to decrease the amount of time it takes to get the job done.

If your organization uses mobile devices for business operations or you wish to enroll your employees in a proper training, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400, shoot us an email at info@optfinity.com or visit us on the web at www.optfinity.com.

In the wake of two-factor authentication frequently being recommended to combat malicious hackers, another security threat has arisen: port-out scams. Port-out scams involve hackers trying to steal your phone number and transfer it to another carrier, allowing them access to any account that requires a text message confirmation to access. Considering many people’s bank and financial accounts are set up for SMS two-factor authentication, this is a horrific reality. A recent CNET article provides some suggestions on how to prevent your phone number from being stolen by hackers and avoid having your accounts compromised.

For starters, it’s always good to prevent the hacking of your accounts in the first place. To do this, use a password manager to keep track of multiple complex passwords and ensure they are different for each account. In the event your account is hacked, to prevent fraudulent use of your number for two-factor authentication, it is best to avoid the use of SMS altogether. Instead, it is recommended that you use your email or an authenticator app. Furthermore, you may consider using a disposable number which you can get from Google Voice or Textfree, anytime you are giving out your number to anyone besides your friends, family or bank.

As always, OptfinITy is happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have related to technology. If you have any questions or concerns about port-out scams, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400 or shoot us an email at info@optfinity.com.