• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Nevada Business Magazine

The Decision Maker's Magazine

Subscribe Now!

  • Subscriptions
    • Print
    • Mobile App
    • Email
    • Nevada News & PR Wire
  • Features
    • New This Month
    • View Issues
    • Cover Stories
    • Feature Stories
    • Industry Focus
    • Building Nevada
    • Special Reports
    • Press Release Wire
    • Nevada Industries
  • Departments
    • A Matter of Opinion
    • Around the State
    • Business Indicators
    • Commentary
    • Commercial RE Report
    • Crossfire
    • Expert Advice
    • Face to Face
    • Free Market Watch
    • Inside Politics
    • Power of Attorney
    • Profit & Loss
    • Speaking for Nevada
    • Tech.knowledge.me
    • The Last Word
    • Vital Signs
  • Planning Calendar
  • Advertising
    • Advertising Info
    • Advertising Staff
    • Submission Requirements
    • Online Advertising
  • Events
    • NBM Events
  • About
    • About the Magazine
    • Contact the Staff
  • Connect
    • Business Directory
    • Press Release Wire
    • Business Calendar
    • Submit Listing
    • Post Press Release
    • Add Your Event
    • Sign Up
    • Log In
You are here: Home / Departments / Business First / Cyber Security

Cyber SecurityKeeping Your Business Safe

December 1, 2020 By Tarah Richardson Leave a Comment

An issue that will only become more prevalent moving into the future, cybersecurity is something that affects everyone. From the grandfather that sends his social security check to a “prince” in Nigeria, to the CEO who finds her proprietary data held hostage by a cyber thief, no one is immune to online threats and scams. Business owners need to be especially careful as they must protect, not only their own information, but, in many cases, the information of their customers as well.

A recent Business First panel discussion covered the topic of cybersecurity via a webinar hosted by Nevada Business Magazine. The panel was moderated by Connie Brennan, publisher and CEO of the publication and sponsored by Eide Bailly, Nevada State Bank, and Link Technologies. The expert panel covered everything from the biggest mistake business owners make in regard to cybersecurity to the best advice they have for businesses.

Panelists included Anders Erickson, principal-in-charge of cybersecurity for Eide Bailly, Navpreet Jatana, senior vice president of enterprise information security at Zions Bancorporation, NA, the parent organization of Nevada State Bank and R. Montana Williams, co-founder and managing partner of Titan Rain Cybersecurity speaking on behalf of Link Technologies. Each panelist is an expert on cybersecurity and provided a unique perspective to this complex issue.

Biggest Mistakes

Unfortunately, when it comes to cybersecurity, a business is only as protected as its weakest point. “One of the most important mistakes an organization makes is just not taking it seriously,” explained Erickson of cybersecurity. Part of his job entails helping companies establish a culture of security from the top down.

He added, “It really does come from the top. Organizations still kick the can down the road, but we know cybersecurity attacks are the fastest growing crime in the U.S. right now. By next year, it is estimated that ransomware attacks are going to happen every five seconds.” Erickson further estimates that the average cost of each incident of ransomware could be between $100,000 to over $380,000.

“I would add, it’s about awareness for, not just the overall business, but the individuals that work in the business,” said Jatana who is responsible for multiple cybersecurity teams at Zions Bancorp.

When it comes to common mistakes, Williams explained that, essentially, it boils down to company culture. “That [culture] starts at the board room and goes all the way to the breakroom,” he said. “[There should be] an understating at every level of an organization of the importance of cybersecurity.”

Having held positions ranging from the private and non-profit fields to government and military, Williams has helped a range of organizations protect themselves from cyber-attacks. “Cybersecurity is also about risk management,” Williams said. “Remember there’s these basic three tenants of cybersecurity: confidentiality, integrity and availability.”

“Don’t treat it simply as an IT problem,” Jatana concurred. “Treat it as a business problem. This is about risk management. How do you manage financial risk? How do you manage HR risk? How do you manage legal risk? You’ve got to manage cyber risk at a very senior level within the organization.”

Common Threats

“One of the biggest threats is phishing,” said Jatana. Phishing is when a cyber thief sends an email that looks reputable in order to trick someone into providing important information that can be used for theft or to defraud.

“It’s someone trying to trick you into clicking on something that will either infect your computer or steal information from your business,” he said. “That remains one of the biggest threats and we take that very seriously. For Nevada State Bank, that means educating team members on the importance of vigilance and addressing any potential phishing early on.”

Erickson weighed in with some additional advice on phishing. He suggested having a notification added to all emails that come from outside the organization can be helpful. “It’s very easy to do and your IT team should be able to do it. Do not ever click on a link from outside your organization,” he said.

He also suggested testing employees to make sure they aren’t clicking on links that could potentially be harmful. He explained, “You should be testing your organization’s people on a regular basis. In the month of October, I got tested at least four times a week, it was cybersecurity awareness month. Our cyber team was sending us fake phishing emails and we were supposed to identify them and report them. This is something you should be taking very seriously. It is only through practice and technical notifications and identifications of these potential threats that we’re actually going to win this one.”

Williams added that asking some common-sense questions goes a long way to protecting against phishing attacks. “Do you know who the sender is? Are they familiar to you? If it’s an attachment, are you expecting them to send you something? If you are clicking on an email and see an email address you’re unfamiliar with, go straight to the company’s website [rather than clicking a link],” he said.

Another common threat is reused passwords, explained Jatana. “Have you ever reused your password across multiple websites?” he asked. “Chances are the answer is an overwhelming yes. It’s hard to remember a lot of passwords.”

He went on to explain how dangerous that is but that it’s a relatively easy fix. “That’s one of the biggest things and [something] that any individual can directly control,” he said. “Start using a password manager so that you can assign unique passwords to all your accounts.”

Williams added that the Nigerian “prince” so familiar to email users is also back at it again because, unfortunately, those types of scams are successful. “Every major breach starts with some type of social engineering component to it,” he said. “That is still the number one threat. We have to educate. We have to practice. We have to exercise our plans. An incident response plan does nobody any good if you type it out and put it on a shelf and it collects dust.”

Jatana recommends businesses adopt a D.I.V.A. approach – Data, Identities, Vulnerabilities and Assets. “Those are some of the things that, if you focus your efforts on, you will be in a good spot as a business. At least get an understanding of each of those,” he said. “You’re either going to have to do it on the front end, do it on the back end or go out of business.”

New Complications

One issue that has been brought to the forefront in 2020 has been the need for employees to work remotely while maintaining company security. Remote work brings about a host of security issues and many companies weren’t ready for the dramatic shift to work from home that happened earlier in the year.

“We are in a new paradigm,” said Williams. “From a security perspective, you have to have a BYOD policy – Bring Your Own Device. You have to containerize things on people’s cell phones and [tablets] if you’re going to let them use those as part of the data they are needing to do their jobs every day. You’re going to have to give them some sort of secure VPN (virtual private network) because they are working from home, so they are using their own ISPs (internet service providers). All those things need to be taken into consideration and improved upon as you move forward with remote work.”

One option many companies have begun using is known as remote desktop. That is a service that allows a user to remotely log into a work computer from their home device.

“What I’ve noticed is, enabling remote connectivity is not always done securely,” said Jatana. “If you have a person you rely on to provide you with IT support services, they might enable you to start connecting remotely to your infrastructure. Put a stop to that because that is one of the ways [organizations] end up in compromising situations.”

Erickson added that one of the biggest dangers with remote desktop boils down to simple password management. “Talk to your service provider, talk with your IT team about what they are using,” he advised. “Ask them the questions. Is this secure? How are you accessing [company computers] securely from remote? In the case of remote desktop there are some vulnerabilities but also, it’s [important to have] just good password management. Put a strong password on it.”

Jatana advises using a strong VPN that is maintained well and up-to-date as well as the use of multi-factor authentication whenever possible. A verification method that grants access only after presented with two or more pieces of evidence as to a user’s identity, multi-factor authentication helps ensure that the person logging onto a system is who they say they are.

“Do you know who is actually logging into your infrastructure?” asked Jatana. “Can you be sure of that? Or is it someone who stole someone’s password and are pretending to be that person? Multi-factor authentication gives you the assurance that person is who they say they are.”

As far as remote work in the future, Williams said it’s not going away, and businesses need to be ready. “Organizations need to understand that this is the future, and they need to institute these types of policies. [They need to] have them in place to help ensure that confidentiality, integrity and accessibility remain,” he said.

Jatana stressed the importance of, not just making the necessary data available to employees, but ensuring it’s protected first. “Make sure the controls you have in place are up-to-date and you have some insurance over the identities,” he said. “Then you’re going to be in a much better spot in a remote workplace environment.”

Best Practice

For businesses looking to protect themselves in an ever-increasing digital world, there are some general best practices they should adhere to.

“Understand that cybersecurity is, again, about risk management,” said Williams. “From the executive level, you have to be the culture center. An organization takes on the personality of its leader; if you don’t care about cybersecurity, no one in your organization will care about cybersecurity.”

“Think through it logically,” said Jatana. “How are you informed about cyber risk? It’s important for you to, not only be informed, but to govern it effectively within the organization.”

He added that third parties can increase, or decrease, a business’ security. Any organization with access to a company’s data puts that company at risk. “You can do all the right things but, as soon as you rely on a third-party, you’re only as good as their security.”

Finally, he concluded that incident response is vital. “You can’t just make an incident response plan and assume it’s going to work,” he said. “You’ve got to put it into practice. If you aren’t seeing incidents, then you are not looking hard enough from your cybersecurity team’s perspective.”

Erickson added that it’s something all businesses, regardless of size, should be taking seriously. “I used to do panels and I thought it was important to be light and joke around to connect with people,” he said. “I have now sat across the table of too many CEOs and presidents that are at their wits-end because their businesses are being drained by these security incidents. It’s not funny anymore.”

He advises taking cybersecurity seriously, implementing preventative measures and getting a second opinion. “If you think you have it down, great, but get an opinion,” Erickson said. “Talk to a security professional. Talk to someone who understands what risk is and they can help you put in the preventative measures, so you don’t end up being another victim. There are hundreds of thousands of them out there and you don’t want to be another one. You don’t have the time. You want to run your business not have to deal with these kinds of things so, take it seriously.”

Filed Under: Business First, Special Reports Tagged With: Anders Erickson, Cybersecurity, Eide Bailly, Link Technologies, Navpreet Jatana, Nevada State Bank, R. Montana Williams, Titan Rain Cybersecurity, Zions Bancorporation

Sponsored Features

Sponsored Features

U.S. Bank’s Good TruckComes to Las Vegas

GC Garcia, Inc. Celebrates 25 YearsAnd Looks Back on Southern Nevada’s Changing Landscape

Las Vegas Valley Water DistrictSupports Local Fire-Fighting Efforts

Behind the ScenesWith a U.S. Bank Goals Coach

Advertise With Us

Advertise With Us. more details ►

Primary Sidebar

Daunting ChallengesMedical Education in Nevada

Industry FocusHealthcare

Time & SpaceArchitectural Design Trends

Cyber SecurityKeeping Your Business Safe

Nevada News & PR Wire

  • Reflection Bay Golf Club Expands Team with Ken Wright

  • Holland & Hart Announces Election of New Partners in 2021

  • OPD5 Extends Temporary Office Closure Due to COVID-19

  • Urology Specialists of Nevada Adds Three New Health Care Providers

  • 2021 Resolutions with M Spa — January Specials for CoolTone by CoolScuplting

  • Elizabeth Pearson Earns Certificate in Principles of Public Relations

  • INOVA Announces Winners and Exhibit in Community Artists’ Campaign

  • Brass Cap Development Closes on Three New Valley Properties

  • Desert Radiology Completes 25 Days of Do-Gooders Virtual Gifting Initiative, Donating to 25 Charities in 25 Days

  • Reno/Sparks Association of REALTORS® Releases December 2020 Existing Home Sales Report

  • Vegas PBS to Host Free Virtual Screening of the Zen Speaker: Breaking the Silence

  • Long-Time Silver State Schools Credit Union Volunteer Leonard Petoske Passes Away

  • Naylor & Braster Recognized in U.S. News Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” 2021 Edition

  • Goodwill® Among Recipients of $4.2 Billion Funding by MacKenzie Scott

  • St. Jude’s Ranch for Children Begins Healing Center Project for Child Victims of Sex Trafficking with Soil Survey Donated for $1

  • Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Donor Network West Launch Six-Day “Second Chances” Organ Donation Awareness Program for Minor Traffic Violations

  • Angela Collins Named Chief Operating Officer of Nathan Adelson Hospice; Joins NHPCO’s Quality & Standard Committee

  • NAIOP Southern Nevada Announces Newly Elected 2021 Officers and Directors

  • Immunize Nevada to Host Flu Clinic at Promise Land Community Church

  • Southern Nevada Home Prices End the Year in Record Territory

  • Dickson Commercial Group Represents Buyer of 21,781 Square Foot Medical Office Building

  • Soberlink Joins National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges With Corporate Sponsorship

  • Northern Nevada Community Leaders Named to NCET Board

  • Megan H. Hummel Appointed Partner of Lipson Neilson PC

  • Reno/Sparks Association of REALTORS® Installs 2021 Officers and Celebrates Annual Awards

  • Northcap Commercial Arranges Sale of 11.33 Acres of Land for $5,377,268

  • Nathan Adelson Hospice Partners with Six Leading Non-Profit Providers

  • A Plant-Based Change of Pace: Dunkin’ Starts 2021 with the Southwest Veggie Power Breakfast Sandwich

  • Vegas Helps Nonprofit Organization Launches to Facilitate Locals Helping Locals

  • Deadline for Moving Assistance Applications Extended to Jan. 15, 2021 — Move 4 Less Owners Paying for Local Moves of Families Affected by Pandemic —

  • Livestreamed Panel Discussion Will Engage Local Mental Health Experts, Community Leaders, and the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab on the Topic of Youth Mental Health

  • Silver State Schools Credit Union Shares its 2020 Community Giving

  • Jewish Nevada Announces New Board Members and Presents Jewish Community Leader Awards During Virtual Event in January

  • Ava Rose Agency’s Food and Beverage Clients Raise a Glass to Welcome 2021 With New Year’s Specials and Promotions

  • Throw in the New Year With Dueling Axes at AREA15

  • Take (Extra) Charge of 2021: Dunkin’s New Extra Charged Coffee Delivers 20% More Caffeine

  • Non-Profit CORE Welcomes Two New Members to Board of Trustees

  • Non-Profit CORE Treats 70 Scholars and Families to a Drive-Thru Holiday Express

  • Short-Term Career Training is Key to Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery in Las Vegas in 2021

  • Paint Contractor Gives Children Unforgettable Christmas

  • Greater Nevada Credit Union Helps People Live Greater Through Greater Giving Donations

  • Nevada Association Services Pays First Quarter 2021 HOA Assessments for 5 Families Who Lost Their Homes in November Pinehaven Wildfire

  • “Hope for the Holidays” Presented by Hope for the City Wraps With Immersive Drive-Thru Food Pantry

  • Nevada Rural Housing Authority Receives Two Excellence Awards from the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies

  • Dickson Commercial Group Completes 36 Acre Land Sale in North Valleys

  • Las Vegas Real Estate Company Focuses on Neighborhoods & Communities

  • Justice Mark Gibbons to Retire from Nevada Supreme Court

  • Spencer Fane LLP Partner Ayesha Mehdi Named to American Bar Association Health Law Section Vice Chairships

  • Newly Constructed Industrial Complex Sells for $6.8 Million in Southwest Las Vegas

  • TSK Architects Promotes from Within

  • USDA Recognizes Greater Commercial Lending As #1 Business and Industry Lender in Top Commercial Lender Rankings

  • Serving our Kids Foundation Hosted Contactless Food Drive with Sponsors Clark County Medical Society Alliance, Southwest Medical, OptumCare and SOS Radio

  • Attorney Leon F. Mead II Receives Recognition for Legal Excellence for 2020 Super Lawyers® Award

  • Mendy Elliott Named Nevada Donor Network Foundation Founding Board Member

  • John Naylor Represented British Columbia Securities Commission in Landmark Decision From Nevada Supreme Court

  • Young Entrepreneur Spills Insight on Launching a Podcast

  • The Private Bank by Nevada State Bank’s High Net Worth Report Summarizes Charitable Giving Trends Impacted by TCJA

  • Application Is Now Open for the Cannabis Equity and Inclusion Community (CEICNV) NCCRFund Grant Program in Nevada

  • Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys Wins “Best Accident Lawyer” in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s “Best of Las Vegas” Reader’s Poll

  • An Outpouring of Support for Las Vegas Cyclist Memorial: Lamar Advertising Donates 68 Billboards

  • Lake Las Vegas Named #1 Southern Nevada Master Plan

  • St. Vincent’s Thrift Stores Offer Unique Gifts

  • William V. Craig, M.D. Joins Nathan Adelson Hospice in Pahrump

  • Behavioral Health NV Encourages Families to Find Substance Use Help During the Holidays

  • Project Worth Encourages Problem Gamblers to Seek Change this Holiday Season

  • JB Public Relations – Boutique Public Relations & Social Media Agency Offers Free Initial PR Crisis Communications and Consultations for Small Businesses in Las Vegas During the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Move 4 Less Owners Provide Moving Help for Families Being Evicted, Affected by the Pandemic — Applications DUE by Dec. 31 —

  • D’Agostino’s Trattoria Offers Holiday Gift Baskets, In-Dining Specials, and Signature Festive Drink to Ring in the Season

  • MGM Resorts Selects TuffSkin Surface Protection for Leadership Program

  • Kelly LeGrow Named Nevada Donor Network Foundation Board Member

  • BRAZEN Architecture Founder Receives AIA Nevada’s First Ever “Citizen Architect” Honor

  • ‘Weekend College’ Launches at CSN – Designed for Busy Students, Programs in Business, IT, Healthcare and More Are Available

  • Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School Breaks Ground New $3.4 million Tennis Complex

  • Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing Looking to Hire Call Center Representatives Throughout Las Vegas

  • Trosper Public Relations Adds to Team

  • Clinician Experience Project Recognizes Southwest Medical Physician

  • Goodwill® of Southern Nevada Names New Chief Human Resources Officer

  • Dermody Properties Leases Remaining Space at LogistiCenter℠ at Speedway in North Las Vegas

  • Rita Vaswani Named Nevada Donor Network Foundation Founding Board Member

  • Nevada State Bank Wins “Best Bank” in Las Vegas Review-Journal Poll for Fourth Straight Year

  • Community Support Needed to Help Homeless Youth for the Holidays –Donate Gifts or Host a Drive–

  • SR Construction Makes Donation to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

  • Colliers Las Vegas Broker Recognized as Broker of the Year by Prestigious Industry Society

  • Fernley Community Foundation Celebrates Progress with Polaris Grant, New Senior Center Opening

  • Vegas PBS Selects Mary Mazur as New President and General Manager

  • Silver State Schools Credit Union Receives Gold Award for “Best Credit Union” with the 2020 Best of Las Vegas Award

  • Blume Kitchen & Cocktails Plans Pop-up Dinner Featuring Chef Lanny Chin Mon., Jan 11

  • Coral Academy Awarded Gold in Four Categories for Best of Las Vegas Awards

  • NAWBO Southern Nevada Awards Henderson Councilwoman Michelle Romero With Corporate & Government Services Award

  • Nevada State College’s Early Childhood Education Center to Open Fall 2021 Within the New $61.8m School of Education Building

  • Justice Mark Gibbons Honored at Virtual Pro Bono Awards Luncheon

  • Foster Youth and Adoption Agency Mountain Circle Family Services, Inc. Celebrates 35 Years With New Name, Same Community Focus

  • Nevada REALTORS® Present Annual Awards, Including Honoring Chris Bishop as Its REALTOR® of the Year

  • Blume Kitchen & Cocktails and the Stove Host Holiday Drive-Through Experience to Distribute Meals and Essentials

  • Reno Experience District’s First Luxury Apartment Building is Now Open

  • Founders of a Boutique Design Firm Spill Insights on Building a Team and a Partnership With Intentional Leadership

  • “Angels of Las Vegas” to Hold Fundraising Gala to Benefit Children With Cancer

  • National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Form New Ad Hoc Committees to Strengthen Partnerships with Court Management and Tribal Courts

  • Nevada’s Silver State ACO Saved Medicare $48 million in 2019

  • Silver State Schools Credit Union Announces Winners for the 35th Annual Happy Times 2021 Calendar



 
Submit Your News & PR | Subscribe
Submit Your News & PR

Business Connection

Business Connection Portal

Log In Sign Up

Business Connection Portal

Log In Sign Up

Nevada Business Calendar

  • Ely Film Festival 2021
    March 12, 2021 12:00 pm

    Location: 501 E Aultman St, Ely, NV 89301, USA

    More details...
  • Ely Film Festival 2021
    March 12, 2021 12:00 pm

    Location: 501 E Aultman St, Ely, NV 89301, USA

    More details...
View Full Calendar ►

Nevada Business Directory

Featured Businesses
Find a Nevada-Based Business Submit Your Business Subscribe to the Nevada News & PR Wire

Nevada Industries

Architects & Engineers
Arts & Culture
Banking
Commercial Real Estate
Construction
Credit Unions
Economic Development
Education
Financial Management
Healthcare
Human Resources
Insurance
Law
Manufacturing
Marketing
Media
Mining
Philanthropy
Residential Real Estate
Rural Nevada
Sports
Tax Planning and Accounting
Technology
Telecom
Tourism
Transportation
Utilities

Footer

Subscriptions

  • Print Subscription
  • Mobile App
  • E-mail Subscription

Editorial

  • Features
  • Departments
  • Events

Advertising

  • Advertise
  • Submission Requirements

Connect

  • Contact
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2020, Business Link LLC dba Nevada Business Magazine and Nevada Business Journal. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
Nevada Web Design services by Nevada Central Media using Genesis Framework by StudioPress