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Phone Recording: Know the Law

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Phone Recording: Know the Law

As we have discussed in our previous blogs, recording the calls at your business or office can be a useful tool. It allows you to review how your employees engage the clients/customers and the success or struggles of your sales team. However, before you hit the record button, it’s important to know law for recording phone conversations. Here is a breakdown of the Alabama state code as it applies to recording phone conversations:

Unlawful eavesdropping is regarded as overhearing or recording of the contents of a private communication without consent of at least one of the individuals involved in the communication. The statute has been established as a right to privacy in communications, especially a right not to have communications overheard, recorded or disclosed without consent.

Criminal eavesdropping is regarded as the intentional use of a “device” to overhear or record communications, whether the eavesdropper is present or not, without one party’s consent. Criminal eavesdropping is considered a misdemeanor according to Alabama code. Knowingly divulging information obtained through illegal eavesdropping is considered a misdemeanor as well. It’s noted that misdemeanors in Alabama carry a maximum one year jail sentence.

WiFi Security Flaw Affects Millions Of Users And Devices

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Security researchers have found a new critical security flaw dubbed “Krack” (Key Reinstallation Attacks) that affects literally every WiFi router and smart phone in use today. The reason? The security flaw resides in the WiFi standard itself, rather than in a third-party product.

In addition to being vast in scope and scale, Krack is a particularly nasty, versatile flaw, allowing hackers to intercept credit card numbers, passwords, photos and a whole host of sensitive personal information.

It works like this: A hacker finds a vulnerable WPA2 network, and then makes an exact copy of it, including impersonating the MAC address. This clone then serves as a “man in the middle” allowing the hacker who controls it to intercept everything passing through it.

WPA2 encryption requires a unique key to encrypt each block of plain text, but because Krack attacks make a copy that’s indistinguishable from the original, they’re able to use the same encryption key.

As bad as that is, it gets worse for Android and Linux users. Thanks to a bug in the WPA2 standard, these devices don’t force the client to demand a unique encryption key with each use. Instead, they allow the key to be “zeroed out,” literally creating an encryption key containing all zeroes, which interferes with a key part of the handshake process.

In addition to that, hackers can deploy specialized scripts that can cause the connection to bypass HTTPS, which leaves passwords and other normally protected data exposed.

If there’s a silver lining, it is that the attack can’t be used to target routers directly, but honestly, that’s not much of a silver lining, because the potential damage this new vector could cause is virtually without limit.

Unfortunately, until a patch is released, there’s not much you can do, short of turning off WiFi altogether. This may work for smartphone users, but it is simply impractical for routers.

There’s some good news, though. The fix should be relatively easy to implement, although no ETA has been given at this point.

More Info At: https://www.krackattacks.com

10 Tips to Keep Your Email Clean, Clear and Efficient

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10 Tips to Keep Your Email Clean, Clear and Efficient

Is your email getting bogged down with spam? Do those junk emails seem to multiply every time you try to get rid of them? Getting emails faster than you can respond to them? Well no worries, because we have some tips to the rescue!

  1. Keep Your Guard Up. A quality spam filter can save you time, and that time can add up quickly and be used to focus in other areas of need in your business.
  2. No Thanks. Cancel all your subscriptions to unwanted email lists and be caution when purchasing items online, because that “checked” subscribe box can often sneak past you.
  3. No Laughing Matter. Politely ask you friends to remove you from joke email lists or group chain messages. Just politely explain your situation, and any friend (especially a business minded one) will understand.
  4. Keep It Private. Don’t publish your email on websites unless you’re prepared to have spammers grab it and put it to use.
  5. Don’t Waste Words. Unless the sender is specifically sending you a request or asking a question, you don’t have to respond to EVERY email you get. Don’t waste an email or your time to simply say “okay.”
  6. Short and Sweet. If you find yourself needing to write a book when it comes to emailing, then just pick up the phone. This will cut down on multiple emails back and forth to answer questions or discuss solutions.
  7. Spotlight your Subject. Put detail and attention into what you put in subject lines. This makes emails easier to prioritize and categorize when it comes to response time and urgency.
  8. Control the Urge. Do you find yourself checking your email every 10 minutes? This is not only a time waster, but it also prevents you from focusing on any other work or projects. Block certain times throughout your day to read and answer emails to help eliminate this urge.
  9. Don’t Procrastinate. If you receive an email that has a call to action or requires a response, then do it. If you can’t perform the action right away, put it into your calendar for later and delete the email. This keeps your email from getting bogged down and wasted time in reading the same email a dozen times.
  10. Spring Clean…Daily. Set time out in your day, preferably the evening, to clean out your inbox. File your messages, set reminders and clear out the unnecessary junk.

Not Monitoring Internet Usage Could Be Risky Business

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Not Monitoring Internet Usage Could Be Risky Business

A Big Part of Your Business Can Cause Big Problems

The internet and email are tools we use in business so fluently we can’t imagine the world without them. However, more and more businesses are discovering that these tools are being used by employees for activities that aren’t business related. Employers are quickly discovering that unmonitored internet use by employees is severely hampering productivity and can even result in serious legal consequences.

In order to reduce or even eliminate these risks, there are two key approaches every business must take. The first is to establish a detailed Internet Acceptable Use Policy or IAUP to set clear guidelines for employees on what is and is not appropriate use of email and the internet. The second step is the installation of a monitoring system for your business network that ensures employees are operating under the IAUP guidelines.

When establishing your IAUP, you want to be sure you specifically outline prohibited uses, rules for online behavior, access privileges and penalties for violations of the company policy that include consequences for security violations and vandalism of the system.

Common Flaws Found in IAUPs

  • Instant Messaging – While instant messaging services are a quick and easy way to communicate within the office, you must be cautious about what you’re sending. A majority of IM services don’t provide adequate security measures for confidential data and information.
  • Social Media – As the popularity of social media continues to grow, so does the risk of confidential company and client information being leaked to it. You don’t want to see the latest company gossip or scandal spreading across Facebook like wildfire.
  • Websites – Strictly prohibit employees visiting websites that contain pornography, racism, sexism, gambling or emailing any of this content. Even if the intention is innocent, the consequences won’t be.
  • Downloading – Put a strict halt to all downloading when it comes to music, video, programs and apps. These downloads could easily contain viruses that will quickly put your data at risk and result in a costly cleanup.

Four Important Tips For Moving Offices

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Four Important Tips For Moving Offices

Moving an office is never a simple operation, but the stress of the process can be greatly reduced when properly planned out. The most common issues and hurdles faced when moving offices, arises from simply not knowing everything that needs to be done. Unfortunately, it’s much more complicated than simply boxing up and calling the movers. But with these four tips, your move is sure to go much more smoothly.

TIP #1 – Have a Plan and Stay Organized

This should be the obvious focus for any move. With everything that needs to be managed, it’s easy for things to get overlooked, forgotten or lost. So it’s important to keep a detailed checklist of everything that needs to be done. Be sure to go over the list several times before the actual move date, and you can never have too much detail.

TIP #2 – Too Much “Do It Yourself”

Packing up and moving furniture is a task for a moving company, but what about sensitive and fragile materials like your computers and network systems? Be sure to hire a professional IT firm who can assure your materials such as workstations and network cables will be handled carefully and reconnected properly. Without professionals handling this process, your business could be faced with network crashes, incorrect phone extensions, lost cables and damaged workstations.

TIP #3 – Do Your Homework When Hiring an IT Firm

Network and phone systems are crucial for every business, so make sure that the IT firm you hire will get the job done quickly and most importantly, done correctly. A few items for your hiring checklist would include references, service time to estimate your network’s down time, proof of insurance, and an organized approach to how your network and phone systems are going to be moved. Also make sure your IT firm conducts a detailed site survey of your new office space to give you a thorough quote on charges for the move, as well as an estimated completion time.

TIP #4 – Notify Your Internet, Phone and Cable Providers

Approximately 80% of communication blackouts and cost overruns when it comes to moving networks are a result of not preparing voice, data and electrical installations in advance. Be sure to have all necessary network and phone system cabling installed and ready at your new location. Internet and phone connections may need as much as six weeks advance notice to be properly installed and tested at your new location. Are you building a new office? Make sure to have detailed plans for your contractor on how many power outlets and network connections you will need for both workstations and your phone system. Don’t get buried underneath extra charges for additions and alterations once construction is completed.

Which Workers are Best For BYOD?

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Which Workers are Best For BYOD?

It’s quickly becoming a common trend for workers to be allowed to use their own smartphones and tablets for work. “Bring Your Own Device,” or BYOD is an ability that isn’t in the best interest of every employee.

The Device Dilemma

BYOD can be extremely valuable to both employees and companies. It boosts productivity and cost efficiency. Employees, specifically entry level, gain a big boost in productivity as the use of devices allows them to have tools that were not previously at their disposal. Thus, they have the ability to get their work done quickly and more efficiency. This is also a benefit for the company as it doesn’t have to spend extra money on a company issued device. However, their is one major issue with using personal devices for work…

Business Before Personal

While personal devices at work boost efficiency and cost, they don’t always guarantee work is being done when it should be. With personal devices, companies don’t have the ability to monitor an employees work, and thus distractions such as Web surfing, Facebook and Netflix can quickly become a productivity killer. Also, a device such as a personal smart phone has all of the individuals personal contacts, which means the increased chances of a “check in” call from Mom, or a series of “threatening” text messages from a disgruntled spouse keeping the employee distracted from their work.

Devices Don’t “Clock Out”

When it comes to hourly workers, BYOD can bring the issue of having work following them home after they have clocked out for the day or the weekend. A series of legal issues has been brought forward regarding hourly employees at companies feeling pressure to answer company calls and emails on their personal phones when they were off the clock.

Data on the Device

While an “always on the clock” salesperson seems like a natural fit for the BYOD method, this is not necessarily the case. Clients can become comfortable with contacting that salesperson on their personal number, and if this becomes the main path of communication, if that salesperson leaves, so does that client. You also risk company and client information on the personal device to be taken with that person if and when they decide to jump ship.

Are You Protected From A Data Backup Disaster?

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Are You Protected From A Data Backup Disaster?

What Are You Waiting For?

When it comes to protecting the critical files and documents for your business or company, are you taking the necessary precautions? Many small to medium sized businesses are faced with the same problem when it comes to data backup, and that problem is that they haven’t done anything to prepare for it. To go from bad to worse, the necessary steps to protect your business from being down for days due to data loss are often over looked. Just because you haven’t suffered a major data loss yet, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be proactive in protecting yourself.

Don’t Put All Your Data Eggs in One Basket

When it comes to backing up your critical data, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This is to say that while backing up your files on a separate hard drive is a great idea, having the hard drive stored on site may be an issue. What if a fire or theft occurs at your office? It does you no good to have your data stored on multiple sources if they are all in one location that could be at risk. Try using a cloud service or off site data storage service to ensure you have a backup for your backup.

Don’t Rely On Just Backup Drives

While storing you data on physical drives and tape-drive backups is never a bad thing as the more backups you have, the better. You don’t want them to be your only backup source. Physical drives and tape-drives can fail and suffer damage and deteriorate over time. This could result in you going to copy or transfer data from the drive, only to find out your backup technology has expired.

Save Yourself with a Snapshot

A great resource to saving yourself time, money and stress in the case of a data disaster is to image your server. When you image your server, you are basically taking a “snapshot” of everything on your hard drives and workstations. This is crucial because it doesn’t just backup your files and documents, but also restores everything from software programs, personal settings, network settings and even printer configurations. This is crucial because many businesses only think of files when it comes to data backup and don’t consider the software they need to actually open those files and run their business.

Breached – Healthcare Data Breaches Cost $6 Billion a Year

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In today’s environment, the core of any security strategy needs to shift from breach prevention to breach acceptance.” – Gemalto, data security firm

Times they are a changing when you see a prominent security firm relenting to the fact that breaches are unstoppable. This is not only true in theory and in speculation by way of looking at the possibilities of the future; but in hard data back to reality of today. This reality is true for almost every organization but so much so for the Healthcare Industry. Why is that? The main reason is that health care records have many opportunities to be exploited. Patient records or estimated to be worth 50 times what a credit card number is worth on the black market.

The reality of life is that opportunistic entrepreneurship is not limited to legitimate businesses and ethical business owners. Even bad guys are looking for the next big thing, sadly and they have found it in the Healthcare Industry.

Here are are two of the most important things for every Healthcare Provider to do to not only mitigate their risk but also mitigate their liability.

  1. Train yourself and your staff on security. A recent IBM study revealed that 95% of all data breaches were caused by people. I’m sure that’s no shock to anyone but from my observations, the market certainly does not spend much any effort in trying to mitigate this risk at its source. Knowledge is power.
  1. Perform a Yearly Security Assessment. Not only will this help better protect your patient data, but it will also help in the event that there is a breach. Both, training staff and yearly risk assessments are actually required by Health and Human Services.

Here are a few highlights from the Fifth Annual Benchmark Study on Privacy and Security of Healthcare Data by Ponemon Institute.

  • Criminal attacks are now the number one cause of security breaches in healthcare, increasing 125% since 2010.
  • In the last two years, 94% of healthcare organizations have experienced a data breach, with 40% reporting at least five breaches.
  • In 2015, over 93 million health records were exposed in three of the largest data breaches in history.

The bottom line is that the Healthcare Industry has a big red target on its back. Concerned CEOs, board members and patients are asking more questions about the implications of data breach and the cost associated.

To answer some of those questions here is a great info graphic that breaks down the impact data breaches are having on the US Healthcare Industry.

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Phone: (252) 565-1235