Issues Top 5 Tips for Keeping Data and Remote Workers Safe as Cyber Threats Surge Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – October 1, 2020 – Keyavi Data Corp., a cybersecurity trailblazer transforming the very nature of data protection, today kicked off its observance of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) by issuing a set of best practices for safeguarding businesses and their remote workers from cyber attacks.
These “Top 5 Tips for Staying Ahead of Cyber Criminals During Heightened COVID-19 Workforce Attacks” — compiled by T.J.Minichillo, an internationally renowned expert in detecting and thwarting some of the world’s most significant cyber attacks in government, financial services and energy grids – lay the foundation for small, mid-size and large organizations to successfully protect data.
Keyavi’s best practices consist of tried-and-true tools and techniques that Minichillo recommends companies and remote workers apply to prevent online thieves from stealing sensitive data from IT networks, remote employee computers and digital devices. The tips are available at Keyavi’s site here.
“As the pandemic continues, the so-called attack surface — downloadable malware, well-disguised phishing scams, ransomware assaults and distributed denial-of- service attacks by cyber criminals — has rapidly expanded to messaging apps on insecure mobile devices and to sophisticated email spear-phishing expeditions targeting remote workers unaware of basic security measures,” said T.J. Minichillo, Keyavi’s VP of Cyber Threat & Intelligence.
Verizon’s 2020 Data Breach Investigations study shows that bad actors are taking even greater advantage of coronavirus anxiety by intensifying the volume and sophistication of COVID-themed phishing, malware and scams on small businesses and their employees. While cyber attacks at major corporations usually attract most of the news headlines, the report found 28% of breach victims are small businesses.
Failure to protect sensitive data from a breach also leads to massive financial costs, customer defections, lawsuits and loss of reputation. According to the latest IBM-Ponemon Institute’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, data heists during 2020 cost companies an average of $3.86 million and 280 days to identify and report a breach.
“Information is the lifeblood of every business, flowing in and out of a company like a river,” Minichillo added. “Today, with the right tool, virtually any type of data — whether it’s an email, Word document, text file or video — can become un-stealable, easily and affordably.”
Earlier this year, Keyavi launched a market first: technology that enables data to self-protect using intelligence embedded in the data itself. This groundbreaking technology defines who can access an owner’s data, when and where it’s accessed, and what device is used to access it. Should an unauthorized user try to gain access or steal data without appropriate permission, the data would self-protect, much like a scene from “Mission Impossible.”
Cybersecurity Expert Available to Media
As Keyavi Data’s VP of Cyber Threat & Intelligence, T.J. Minichillo is a respected “go-to” resource for journalists on a range of cybersecurity topics such as cyber crime; breach intrusion detection, surveillance and prevention; phishing and ransomware defense; endpoint security; and self-protecting data. He has held strategic intelligence roles in financial services, the military and energy, including global head of threat intelligence at both National Grid and Morgan Stanley, deputy director at Citigroup’s Cyber Intelligence Center, chief cyber intelligence officer at Merrill Lynch, and senior intelligence special agent at the Department of Defense. Journalists who wish to interview T.J. should email Audra Capas at [email protected].
About National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, now in its 17th year, is a joint campaign co-led by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) to promote best practices for online safety among businesses, governments and the general public. More information about this annual initiative can be found at www.staysafeonline.org and on Twitter using hashtags #StaySafeOnline and #BeCyberSmart.
About Keyavi Data Corp.
Headquartered in Las Vegas and an NCSAM Cybersecurity Champion, Keyavi Data’s transformative cybersecurity technology makes any type of data self-protecting by infusing multi-layered protection into the actual data itself. This transformative technology, available in both an API and a client software product, makes data intelligent and self-aware of where it is, who has it and what device it is on to determine whether it is authorized by its owner to allow access.
Under development for over a decade before launching in 2020, this game-changing cybersecurity technology has a total of 16 U.S. patents and is compliant with FIPS-140-2 for NIST. For companies and government entities that need to control confidential and intellectual property from accidental loss or a cyber attack, Keyavi’s easy-to-use yet robust security delivers peace of mind. In today’s growing locations of disparate workforces and partner ecosystems, Keyavi plays a critical role in making data leaks and breaches irrelevant. Follow Keyavi on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Media Contact:
Audra Capas
