CoreTech Blog

Despite the immense productivity and convenience that come from using a smartphone, it’s important to remember that these devices are miniature computers in our pockets. As such, they are just as susceptible to threats as a computer or laptop. According to the National Security Agency, powering down your device is one of the most effective ways to protect your smartphone from various threats. Here’s why.

From the classic Nigerian Prince emails to the cleverly crafted fake invoice, malicious digital correspondence is a constant threat to a business. It's not just about losing a few bucks, either. A successful phishing attack can cripple your operations, compromise sensitive data, and even lead to your company's demise.

Remember the stereotypical hacker? A lone kid in a hoodie, fueled by caffeine and curiosity, breaking into a system just for the thrill or bragging rights? That image is obsolete. Today, hacking has evolved from a counter-cultural movement into a sophisticated, multi-trillion-dollar global industry.

It would seem that the people responsible for the recent heist at the Louvre, which netted over $101 million in jewelry, may have used a more complicated plan than strictly necessary. According to a French publication, the famous museum has a long history of cybersecurity mistakes and faux pas… many of which, given the museum’s fame, are truly shocking.

Let’s go over what we know about the Louvre’s protections over the years, and what they suggest about the current state of things. We’ll probably learn a thing or two by doing so.

An old fable says that a frog placed in a pot of boiling water will jump out immediately, but if the water is warmed to boiling with the frog already in it, the frog won’t notice until it is already too late. Many businesses today act like that frog, overlooking minor tech issues that signal a growing problem until the damage is done.

Let’s see if we can identify some of these issues to help keep you out of hot water.

What was the scariest Halloween costume you saw last week? Chances are we know something scarier—the cyberthreats that want to take your business down. Let’s go over some of the most common threats to your business’ future and what your business can do about them.

Happy Halloween! Tonight, ghosties and goblins will roam from door to door, collecting candies along the way. This is to be expected. Less expected are the cyberthreats and attacks that darken the doors of modern businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Let’s talk about the things you need to do to keep your business safe, inside and out, every night of the year.

Let’s assume you've invested in the right tools, software, and maybe even a server or two for your business. You’ve likely got a firewall protecting your network's perimeter. However, the most sophisticated hacker in the world isn't targeting your firewall first. They're targeting Linda in accounting, Tom in sales, and every other person on your team. 

The question is, have you prepared them for that fight, or is your team an unlocked door?

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT feel like magic. They can draft emails, write code, and brainstorm marketing ideas in seconds. Your team is likely already using them to boost productivity… but here’s the scary part: without clear rules, that helpful AI assistant could enable your company's biggest data leak. Are you confident your sensitive information is safe?

On one hand, AI can streamline operations, accelerate content creation, and solve complex problems. On the other hand, every piece of information your employees enter into a public AI model could be absorbed into its vast knowledge base, potentially to be shared with the public—including your competitors.

Think about all the online accounts you have, from social media to banking to email. With so many accounts, it's crucial to make sure they're secure. Creating a strong, unique password is one of the best and easiest ways to protect yourself from hackers. Here’s how you can create passwords that are hard to crack and keep your digital life safe.

Let's be real: email attachments are a huge part of your digital life. They're also a favorite sneaky entry point for hackers, viruses, and scams. We've all been there, a quick click before we even think. That split second of laziness can turn into a massive headache for you and your whole job.

Before you tap that little paperclip and potentially wreck your day (or your company's network), you need to take a beat. This is your essential checklist for safely opening files sent via email.

While still critical to get right, passwords aren’t nearly as secure as you would expect them to be. They can be guessed (especially if proper password practices haven’t been followed), stolen in data breaches, or phished from a well-meaning—albeit shortsighted—employee.

Passwords are basically the lock built into the front door of a building. They’re enough to keep out honest people, but what about the people who are willing to go to the deep web and 3D print the master key to the type of lock you use?

Did you know that during World War II, Allied codebreakers didn't just crack the German Enigma code with pure math? They also used clever tricks, like baiting the Germans into sending predictable messages, to expose the machine's inner workings. History proves this approach worked then, and (unfortunately) continues to work now.

This art of manipulating a system to reveal its secrets has found a new, high-tech home in the world of artificial intelligence. It's called prompt hacking, and it's essentially a form of digital social engineering aimed directly at the AI models businesses are starting to rely on.

It's a familiar challenge for businesses: how do you build customer loyalty and a strong user experience while also making sure that their data is protected? Sustainable success depends on mastering this delicate balance. Instead of choosing one over the other, the goal is to optimize data protection without hindering your ability to engage customers and drive growth.

Here’s a challenge; go to any cybersecurity news website and see how far you can go before seeing an article about some new type of ransomware attack. It’s everywhere, and it’s scary, but that doesn’t mean your business has to cower in fear. With the right tools and resources at your disposal, you too can fight back against ransomware. Here’s how you can protect your business from ransomware and the threats it poses.

All businesses need a little IT assistance from time to time, whether it’s for a simple hiccup some software or a full-blown technology emergency. Cybercriminals will often pose as IT support in attempts to capture this low-hanging fruit. Your employees should know how to spot the following warning signs from a fraudulent tech support squad.

Let's be honest… as a business owner, you probably hear it constantly: "You're just one wrong click away from a ransomware attack that will shut you down." So, you invest in a dozen different security tools with names you can't pronounce, your IT bill climbs, and you're left feeling like you're just paying protection money to the tech world. It’s a frustrating shell game.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone, and there is a much better way to operate.

A successful business is a secure business. You probably have a good lock on the front door, maybe an alarm system, and secure cabinets for important documents. You do all of this to protect your business' physical assets from threats. So why wouldn't you do the same for your digital assets?

Just as you have physical security measures, your business also needs strong cybersecurity policies. They help create clear rules for employees to follow and a plan to fall back on if an incident occurs.

Business owners have a lot of duties and responsibilities, and while you can hire a lot of people to cover some of the more stressful ones, it might feel strange to outsource your company’s technology management. You know IT is important, so that’s why you feel like you have to do it yourself, or at least in-house, but in reality, you’re the last person who should be working with your technology—and we’ll explain why.

Tips are great as long as they actually work. Business owners need more technology tips than just about anything else, whether that is app-specific or general care of technology. We try to do our best to provide useful tips a couple of times a month, but this week we wanted to focus on what is probably the most important tip we can provide.