“When the time comes to die, make sure that all you have to do is die!”
~Jim Elliott
Well Hello June! Mom was right. Time really does fly when you are having fun!
I stumbled on the Jim Elliott quote above in my recreational reading last month. It left an impression. I’m fairly certain my kids would be angry with me if I died suddenly. I have many unfinished projects and even more boxes and shelves of “clutter” they would need to sort thru. I’d like to blame it on moving, but truth is, I have a hard time disposing of stuff that reminds me of my childhood, my kids childhood, or my deceased parents. There’s probably a disease named after these symptoms, but I don’t know what that would be. Which is a good thing, because if I could tag it as a named disease, I might google it, and discover I’m going to die! OH MY!
Anyway…. Do you have unfinished projects?
Circle One
Are your backups automated?
Yes No
Have you verified the backup is working?
Yes No
Why backups are important: The number of ransomware victims has risen significantly over the years as has the percentage of those victims paying the ransom and amount of the ransom per victim paid. Just a few short years ago, the average ransom paid was under $20,000 and most victims did not pay. Today, most victims are paying the ransom, the average ransom paid is over $100,000 and we so routinely read about multi-million-dollar payouts that it rarely generates big headlines (https://blog.knowbe4.com/cybersecurity-insurance-landscape-is-fundamentally-changing-right-now)
My comments concerning the last statement: A good backup will save the agony of paying a ransom.
Are you using a spam filter?
Yes No
Can you say “good riddance” if all of your email disappeared forever?
Yes No
If you need to keep copies of email, have you implemented an archive service?
Yes No
Do you regularly patch your computer operating system and utility software?
Yes No
Do you regularly de-gunk you computer?
Yes No
Is your computer running Windows 10?
Yes No
Why spam filtering, email archiving, patching, de-gunking and using Window 10 important: Everyone still agrees that the best way to run an organization is not to get compromised by hackers and malware in the first place. The number one way hackers and malware break in is social engineering (followed by unpatched software). Anything you can do to prevent social engineering and phishing from being presented to your end users, you need to do. A good defense is cheaper than incident response. (https://blog.knowbe4.com/cybersecurity-insurance-landscape-is-fundamentally-changing-right-now)
My comments concerning the last statement: Social engineering frequently shows up in spam emails. You can’t patch obsolete software.
Did you answer “NO” to any of the questions? If so, you better head to Janet’s! (Sorry… couldn’t resist the urge to mimic the hardware store.)
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy,
~Janet
Because It Made Me Laugh!
