Just as it seemed we might be seeing clear skies ahead in terms of the pandemic; another dark cloud began to rise on the horizon. The Colonial Pipeline breach hit the news, and many people started to panic. We were all too familiar with the uncertainty of the future, and last year’s toilet paper rush was replaced with people filling gasoline in plastic containers of all sorts and sizes.

The amount of headlines regarding Cybersecurity and breaches is astronomically high in today’s news. Cybercrimes are increasing year over year at exponential rates, and they are proving to be successful. In 2019, 65% of businesses fell victim to a phishing email. Organizations are asking the question, “How do we stay safe?” Although there is no guaranteed way to stay safe from attacks, education is the key to create a solid line of defense against cybercrimes.

An Interview with Pendello Solutions President, Mike Jackson

These past twelve months, we have seen a massive change in the way we work. These changes were forced upon us by a global pandemic. For the most part, most of us could continue doing business largely because of the drastic changes in technology. I was able to sit down with Pendello Solutions President, Mike Jackson, and get his take on the changes in technology year over year.

Verizon recently released their 2021 Mobile Security Index report, and in it, they summarized their research findings by looking at 856 IT professionals. These people buy, secure, and manage the mobile and internet of things (IoT) devices for their companies.

In a year of firsts and unexpected experiences, what did they find?

The majority of us aren't doing what needs to be done to secure our personal and professional information. 45% of people believe that their companies were rushed to mobilize remotely, and therefore have had to sacrifice security to "get the job done." And while remote working was at one point a necessity, now it is being evaluated as a permanent solution for many companies.

Cryptocurrency is a term that we hear all of the time, but many don’t seem to fully grasp what it is and how it works. We’ll take a look at it from a high level to provide some understanding. Why? Well, it isn’t going away, and it only seems to be gaining popularity. And also, because if you are a target of a ransomware attack, it could very likely be how the hacker demands payment. We are not suggesting that you pay that ransom demand, but getting familiar with cryptocurrency will help you understand how these cybercriminals can fly under the radar.

We, as humans, were built innately to worry. Fears have inevitably changed over the centuries, although that does not mean that our worries have become less. In fact, in a year that we have experienced extreme change and fear, we can testify anxiety and fear are not a thing of the past. With such extreme uncertainty in our world, Pendello President, Mike Jackson, found it to be no better time to read Yuval Noah Harari's most recent book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.

2020 was an intense year. 2020 put Cybersecurity tactics to the ultimate test. We had to change so many fundaments in the way we lived and worked that put our lives and offices in such volatile situations that tested our resilience in every way possible. This volatility fueled a boom of cybercrimes, and we witnessed record-breaking ransomware and phishing attacks. These attacks did not discriminate. They were prevalent in every single industry, including those who were not accustomed to receiving these attacks. Through our partner, ID Agent, we are spotlighting the top five cybersecurity trends of 2020 and their impact on today.