The holidays are stressful enough without technology tripping you up. Customers are trying to squeeze in last-minute errands, employees are juggling family schedules and everyone’s expectations are cranked up to 11. The last thing you want is to accidentally frustrate people with avoidable tech slip-ups.

Even in good times, scammers circle around generosity. But during the holidays, when giving increases and emotions run high, they truly pounce.

A few years ago, a massive telefunding fraud was shut down after authorities discovered that the perpetrators had made 1.3 billion deceptive donation calls and collected over $110 million from unsuspecting donors.

Every year, there’s a new flood of apps, gadgets and “game-changing” technology. Most of it feels more like a distraction than a breakthrough. But this year, a few simple tools actually lived up to the hype – saving small business owners time, money and the occasional headache.

Last December, an accounts payable clerk at a midsize company got an urgent text from her “CEO”: Buy $3,000 worth of Apple gift cards for clients, scratch the backs and e-mail the codes. It sounded odd, but the request came from the boss’s name, and it was peak holiday chaos.

You wouldn’t drive without a seat belt. You wouldn’t leave your office unlocked overnight. So why go online without multifactor authentication (MFA)?

MFA is like a second lock on your digital door. Instead of relying on just a password – which can be stolen, guessed or phished – it adds another layer of protection, such as a text code, authentication app or fingerprint scan.

In 2020, a family in Mississippi woke up to a nightmare. Their eight-year-old daughter heard a man’s voice coming from her bedroom, but it wasn’t her father. A hacker had gained access to their Ring camera and was speaking to her through the device, taunting her and playing music until the parents rushed in to unplug it.

AI is rapidly advancing – and bringing with it a whole new way to do business. While it’s exciting to see, it can also be alarming when you consider that attackers have just as much access to AI tools as you do. Here are a few monsters lurking in the dark that we want to shine the light on.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which makes it the perfect time to step back and look at how your business is protecting itself from today’s biggest digital threats.

Here’s the reality: Most cyberattacks don’t happen because of some elite hacker.

At first, hanging on to old technology for as long as possible seems like a great way to stretch your IT budget. However, the cost of doing so is much higher than simply replacing the tech. Continuing to use old hardware and outdated software can cost your business in productivity, budget and security.

There are many common myths when it comes to cybersecurity, and, unlike harmless stories, these myths can leave you with gaping holes in your company’s cybersecurity defenses. Here are five common myths and the truth behind them.

Myth #1: It Won't Happen To Us.

There’s a common belief among small and medium-sized businesses that they are too small to be a target for attackers.