Never forget to reboot! This requirement can’t be stressed enough. Many people often overlook the importance of this simple measure – or simply don’t want to do it. However, it is often the first step of a computer hack. Most people do not realize that security patches are not effective without a system reboot. Failing to follow this simple procedure could leave you and your employees potentially vulnerable – such as in the case of the google chrome patch that rolled out in early July.
We’ve all heard how important it is to patch your systems. And it is. It’s critical! However, most people do not realize that those patches only work if you reboot your computer. We find that many companies do not want to force their employees to reboot. The reasoning is often that, “It’s not in our culture”, or “It really upsets people, they are afraid they’ll lose everything they are working on.” Once BW Cyber client relayed that they might get fired because the owner hated to reboot. So while culture and getting fired by the boss may be real issues, the fact is – your company will remain at risk despite all the security efforts put in place. Take for example, the announcement on July 4 from Google that Chrome had a Zero Day Vulnerability. Just visiting a malicious site using this browser could result in a computer compromise – possibly leading to a full network compromise (or worse). And even if your IT service provider pushed out the emergency patch, if users didn’t reboot – the firm would remain at risk.
For more information on how BW Cyber, LLC can assist you, please contact us at info@bwcyberservices.com.
