Payroll Companies are a Lucrative Business for Hackers

by blackbottledev | Mar 2, 2024 | Risk Management

Payroll professionals, CPAs, and tax preparers need high-level planning and third-party execution expertise to develop company-wide cybersecurity programs that identify new and existing risks and vulnerabilities, prioritize them, and create a plan to fix, enhance, and train staff.

A WISP, outlined in the FTC Safeguards Rule, may be required, but remember, cybersecurity is only effective with the continued execution of the best cybersecurity implementation!

Questions only you can answer about Your WISP Plan

Your WISP can’t just sit on a shelf!

Have you performed an Annual Risk Assessment?
Do you have an Incident Response Plan, and have you TESTED IT?
Has your organization implemented Advanced Security Controls?
Do you have a Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program?
Who is your CISO; one must be identified in WISP!
Do you know what systems contain sensitive client data and how it’s protected?
What’s your process to communicate your plan?

There’s no time for sleeping. Failure to comply could subject your organization to legal liability, penalties, and fines.

Let’s Dive a Bit Deeper with AV & EDR: A Better Core Control

Traditional Anti-Virus or AV

Can only detect previously known threats
Minimal to no data collection
Minimal to no added features or benefits

Endpoint Detection & Response of EDR

Can detect previously known and UNKNOWN threats due to behavioral-based monitoring
Complex and detailed endpoint data collection
Added benefits include application monitoring threat-hunting capabilities and advanced reporting

Wouldn’t knowing at which bend in the road your business would encounter a breach be nice?

Your preparedness may then include:

An updated WISP or Incident Response Plan
Employees would be up-to-date on training
MFA on every device and application
24×7 monitoring of all systems and endpoints
A better Cyber Insurance policy

As a whole industry, we are getting better at training! Keep up your Cybersecurity Awareness Training! According to the Verizon Report, breaches caused by human errors are down 8% from last year! Bad actors are interested in your data but really interested in your MONEY!

Payroll Companies are a lucrative business for hackers. We will help your organization meet compliance and become cyber-resilient. To get started, contact Black Bottle IT today We have a bench of cyber analysts ready to fight!

The More Cybersecurity Changes The More it Remains the Same

by blackbottledev | Jan 15, 2024 | Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Awareness, Uncategorized

“The more things change, the more they stay the same” means that despite apparent changes or advancements, certain fundamental aspects or patterns remain unchanged over time. One could relate this to cybersecurity.

Cyberattacks cost impacted organizations thousands, if not millions, of dollars.
Cybersecurity is a critical element of homeland security after 9-11.
Ransomware and phishing have always been pervasive.
Since on-premise storage still exists for some businesses, despite the rise of cloud computing, monitoring and protecting data will remain an important part of any security execution plan.

Gartner reports that 85% of organizations will embrace a cloud-first principle by 2025 and will not be able to fully execute their digital strategies without the use of cloud-native architectures and technologies. (May 2023)

Three Key Cybersecurity Focal Points that Will Remain the Same for Foreseeable Future

Rise in Cybersecurity Regulations:

Governments and regulatory bodies were expected to enhance and introduce new cybersecurity regulations to address the evolving threat landscape and protect sensitive data.

Focus on Cloud Security:

With the increasing adoption of cloud services, there was a growing emphasis on securing cloud environments. This includes implementing robust identity and access management, encryption, and monitoring.

Enhanced Endpoint Security:

As remote work became more prevalent, securing endpoints (devices used by employees) gained importance. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions were expected to evolve.

This year, we will learn more about AI and machine learning techniques to improve response efficiency.

Black Bottle IT is focused on keeping data secure, which, in turn, will keep your business operational and competitive. Please reach out if you want to outsource your organization’s cybersecurity function! Contact us today.

What Managed IT Solution is Best for Your Business?

by blackbottledev | May 24, 2023 | Cybersecurity

What Managed IT Solution is Best for Your Business?

When engaging Companies, our team here at Black Bottle IT receives many questions about what tools and services are right for their business. But, there is one question Black Bottle IT frequently gets, “what solutions would you recommend to us?” The answer isn’t simple. There is no “silver bullet” that cures all cybersecurity risks.

To simplify, when looking for a cybersecurity solution, typically companies fall into three categories:

1. Companies that recognize the need to upgrade security solutions and HAVE in-house technical talent:

In this scenario, Black Bottle IT will advise the Company on the right security solutions to fit its situation. Once the solutions are selected, Black Bottle IT will help implement and craft the correct policies and procedures to govern the new processes. This activity is typically done side by side with the in-house talent to hand off 100% of the operations back to the Company’s technical team. Post implementation, we strategically advise, when necessary, as the ever-changing security threat landscape changes with new solutions to keep pace.

2. Companies that recognize the need to upgrade security solutions and DO NOT HAVE in-house technical talent:

These businesses are our favorite Companies to consult with at Black Bottle IT. Business leadership is savvy enough to understand the risk a cyber attack poses and knows the Company doesn’t have enough in-house talent to find, implement and manage the necessary solutions. Cybersecurity talent is hard to find, and most SMB businesses do not have the budget for a dedicated security team. In these instances, Black Bottle IT will recommend, implement and manage a security solution that meets the Company’s needs and reduces their risk of a cyber attack. Going forward, Black Bottle IT will act as advisors and part of the technology team.

3. Companies that may not understand their cyber risk and need some education:

Part of our mission is to inform Companies of the risk a cyber attack can have on their business. In these conversations, we provide industry information, statistics, case studies relevant to the Companies industry. Our goal is to make sure leadership knows the risk. Ultimately, we want to help them and gain them as a client, but the reality is, most Companies that fall into this category need time to digest the information and then quickly realize they need to address the risk. Implementation of solutions will start with low-hanging fruit, as the Company plans and budgets for future improvements.

How can we help your business? There is always a go-forward plan that is right for you, your business, and your stakeholders.

Contact Black Bottle IT today to learn more.

Embrace Cybersecurity with Your Partners and Vendors

by blackbottledev | Mar 18, 2023 | Breach Response, Cybersecurity

Top 3 Things to Know BEFORE Partnering with Vendors

As cybercrime is always knocking on the door of your business, one of the most crucial things you can do is partner with vendors that embrace a good cybersecurity posture. This means that they value your business as much as they value their own! But how do you know which vendor relationships are safe? Here are three things to know before you partner.

Does your business have a PROCESS to audit third-party vendors for their cybersecurity resilience before sharing sensitive information?
VERIFY that your third parties have implemented strong third-party risk cybersecurity monitoring and plans.
DEFINE cybersecurity risk expectations and requirements with your vendors.

It’s in the Data

Payroll Companies, Financial Institutions, Accounting firms — they all have one ‘big’ thing in common. These industries store large volumes of data. Data that is very interesting to cyber criminals. It really doesn’t matter what they actual data is — just know that criminals want it!

Types of Risky Data Include:

Employee Data
Social Security Numbers
Bank Account
Health Care information
Client Data
Account numbers
Sensitive information owned by Client
Credit Card/Bank Account
Protected Information
Industry specific proprietary information
Controlled Unclassified Information

As a business leader, do any of these pain points resonate with you?

The Increase in ransomware /phishing schemes
Lack of compliance with increases in regulation
Lack of an incident response plan
Third-party vendor cybersecurity maturity
Our Insufficient in-house cybersecurity expertise

By understanding third-party security policies and procedures, you can take corrective steps to address the risks to your data. Without the proper controls, your vendors and contractors can become the weakest link to your organization and customers’ privacy.

Black Bottle IT Achieves HIPAA Compliance with Compliancy Group

by blackbottledev | Aug 30, 2022 | Compliance, Risk Management

Black Bottle IT Achieves HIPAA Compliance with

Compliancy Group

Black Bottle IT has demonstrated its good faith effort toward HIPAA compliance by completing Compliancy Group’s proprietary HIPAA compliance process.

We are pleased to announce that Black Bottle IT has taken all necessary steps to prove its good faith effort to achieve compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Through the use of Compliancy Group’s proprietary HIPAA solution, The Guard™. Black Bottle IT can track its compliance program and has earned its Seal of Compliance™. The Seal of Compliance is issued to organizations implementing an effective HIPAA compliance program using The Guard.

HIPAA comprises a set of regulatory standards governing the security, privacy, and integrity of sensitive healthcare data called protected health information (PHI). PHI is any individually identifiable healthcare-related information. If vendors who service healthcare clients come into contact with PHI in any way, those vendors must be HIPAA compliant.

Black Bottle IT has completed the Compliancy Group’s Implementation Program, adhering to the necessary regulatory standards outlined in the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Security Rule, Breach Notification Rule, Omnibus Rule, and HITECH. Compliancy Group has verified Black Bottle IT’s good faith effort to achieve HIPAA compliance through The Guard.

“Our streamlined solution with Compliance Group will drastically cut down the time needed to achieve HIPAA compliance, saving our clients time and stress,” said John Hensberger, Partner. “We are excited about our partnership and look forward to helping our clients grow their business, safely.”

About Compliancy Group

HIPAA should be simple. That’s why Compliancy Group is the only software with Compliance Coaches™ walking you through HIPAA to simplify compliance. Built by auditors, Compliancy Group gives you confidence in your compliance plan to reduce risk, increase patient loyalty, and profitability of your organization. Visit https://www.compliancy-group.com to learn how simple compliance can be.