Capstone Works Blog

Here’s the scenario. Your business insurance provider may have reached out to you, asking questions about your IT and overall cybersecurity. In our experience, this has caused some confusion for a lot of organizations, so we wanted to chime in and help Austin business owners get a better understanding on why your insurance provider is even getting into the weeds with this, and what they are actually looking for.

The last few years have seen an unsettling jump in cybercrime rates, with more businesses struck by various attacks, ransomware, and data breaches. Phishing attacks against end users haven’t slowed down, either—in fact, they’ve become effective enough that even the pros can be tricked. Let’s consider some of the cybercrime trends we anticipate to see in 2023.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a growing problem on our hands, and I don’t think anyone (ourselves included) have been taking the right approach to solving it.

I’m talking about cybersecurity, more specifically, the cybersecurity hygiene of an individual.

We can talk and talk and preach and scream from the rooftops about the importance of this stuff, but I think there is such a fatigue for it, and such a “well what are the odds that it will happen to me” kind of attitude that most people dismiss it.

If you feel either of those ways, this is the article for you. If you read one cybersecurity article and take it to heart, this is the one, and we really, truly hope this sticks for you.

Let’s cut to the chase: scams are everywhere out there today, which makes it important that you are aware of how to avoid them. Let’s run through a few basic tips we always recommend.

They say that everything’s bigger in Texas. Unfortunately, as of late this includes the losses that businesses incur to cybercriminal activity. Let’s discuss how serious this problem is, and what you need to do to keep it from harming your business.

Phishing is one of the leading vectors for larger cyberattacks, and right now, it’s the biggest cyberthreat for Texas-based businesses. In this guide, we’re going to cover what to look for. If you are a business owner, we recommend sharing this blog with your entire staff and asking that they read and confirm they understand it. Go ahead and share it as much as you want—if you find it useful, we’d love to hear from you!

Cybersecurity can be a challenging animal for any business—particularly a small business. That makes it important that you understand a few key terms. Let’s go over these terms as a review—or as an introduction, if that’s the case.

The United States as a whole has seen a growing wave of cybersecurity threats, and the great state of Texas is no less likely to see these threats. In fact, there are plenty of reasons that Texas would be targeted directly. Let’s briefly review some of these reasons, and how they support the importance of cybersecurity preparedness for Austin businesses.

The manufacturing industry has been deeply intertwined with modern technology since the 1950s and 1960s, when computer-aided design (commonly known as CAD) first enabled the digitization of these processes. Today, this interconnectivity has evolved into the Industrial Internet of Things. Let’s consider how these technologies, while greatly beneficial to productivity, have the potential to enable risks… and, critically, how to better resist these risks.

Content filtering is typically associated with keeping your team members on task and focused, but to leave it at that is to overlook half of the benefit that content filtering can provide. Let’s go over how a content filter can help you keep your business operating productively, as well as securely.

Phishing attacks have been a huge problem for businesses over the last several years, and it is only getting worse. While most business owners and managers understand that phishing attacks can lead to malware or the theft of personal information, there is a specific type of phishing attack that targets employees specifically to undermine a C-level.

Smart devices are more commonplace than ever before and while they are usually associated with voice assistants, fitness trackers, and home lighting systems; IoT smart devices have become crucial to industrial businesses and manufacturing. When it comes to manufacturing, these devices are known as IIoT, the Industrial Internet of Things. They help manufacturers be more efficient and productive, but they could also pose a risk if not properly implemented and managed.

It is no secret that a cybersecurity incident can land the company it impacts in legal trouble. Based on this assumption, we feel safe in asserting that such an outcome could be particularly damaging (not to mention embarrassing) for a law firm to experience. Let’s review some of the ways that a law firm needs to ensure its security, and how we can help.

The fax machine. Love it or hate it, it’s been a staple for many businesses, especially those within the healthcare industry. One particular reason why fax is so popular for medical facilities is because it is assumed that fax machines are secure, whereas digital files need to be secured. That said, it’s time to rely less on outdated technologies like fax, especially when dealing with medical records.

Texas’ recent winter storms did an unprecedented amount of damage. Unfortunately, cybercriminals see this disruption as an opportunity to target those under stress and are more likely to make a mistake. Please take a moment to learn some steps to increase your cybersecurity protections.

Recently, several Texas organizations were the target of a massive ransomware attack, most of which were small local government agencies. If you still think your business is too small or far off the radar to be attacked, you're making a grave mistake. If you're not sure how to protect your business, here are three tips to help fight potential ransomware attacks.

Throughout the nation, hospitals and other medical institutions are under cyberattack; in fact, the threat has reached the level that the Joint Cybersecurity Advisory released a press release warning of ransomware attacks. Travis County's Central Health is the latest victim of this unsettling trend. However, they won't be the last; learn how to protect your organization.

Email is (and has been) a prime method of communication for businesses of all sizes. With email comes a whole slew of issues that are essentially synonymous with the technology; spam, information overload, phishing, and information privacy. Even Central Texas small businesses that only do business locally are at risk of these issues. Personal email accounts are equally at risk. Employing proper precautions and practices whenever communicating via email is very important to prevent the risk of security compromises, monetary loss, and even legality issues.

It was earlier this month that the database of America’s second largest health insurance company, Anthem, was cyber hacked. The hackers were able to gain over 80 million records, making this the largest data hack of any U.S. health insurance company. The breach included emails, birthdays, social security numbers, employment information as well as home addresses. The good news is that the hack did not pull financial information such as bank account and credit card numbers. The bad news is that Anthem customers are now subject to not only identity theft but tax fraud.

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, has been a term of concern for the past few years for every healthcare provider and individual. Congress enacted HIPPA in 1996 to ensure the efficiency and standardization of healthcare as well as to enhance access to healthcare. What most business owners do not know is that HIPAA affects everyone. HIPAA affects those within education, non-profits, private practices, major corporations and even the government.