I suppose at this point it seems a bit common place to point out the damage that can be done by an attack from cyber space......
The US portion of iconic vodka distiller and spirit distributer Stoli has filed for bankruptcy citing a ransomware attack that has crippled its business.
Nearly every time I see a story involving a major company or organization that is "crippled" by a cyber attack I think to myself "don't they have recovery plans?"
Maybe you have those same thoughts.
However, I have years of experience navigating the SMB space as a technician, sales rep and consultant which have informed me that even in 2025 that is often NOT the case.
Take your own company for instance...
Right now are you reading this post on a corporate device? How secure is that device? Do you even know? If that device were to be breached do you have access to company systems that could be vulnerable? Are your passwords saved in Chrome? Do you have a word document "hidden" somewhere with all of your logins just in case you forget something? Are your logins for company systems such as VPNs or SaaS platforms saved on the browser or application? Is the device encrypted in case it gets stolen or lost?
Feeling comfortable? Hopefully.
Now think about the platforms you use daily with colleagues to communicate, sell, invoice, track client data or projects....how secure are those platforms or software programs? How devastating would it be if you came into the office tomorrow morning and one or more was destroyed by ransomware? Do you have backups in place? Are the recovery strategies communicated often and practiced regularly in order to reduce anxiety and friction across the team?
Feeling comfortable? Hopefully.
I have said it many times and I will keep hammering on this idea. It is time for Americans and western citizenry in general to resolve ourselves to harden our defenses both personally and professionally. Gone are the days of blissful peace. War (cyber or otherwise) is at your our doorstep. No this is not a doom and gloom mindset it is a reality check. Look back at my post for the last 6 months...the threat is not slowing down or dissapating. On the contrary it has and will continue to accelerate and intensify.
Period.
Let's be ready.
