PHISH & TELL 010

👋 WELCOME to Phish & Tell™️, from Security Done Easy™️

🎣 TOP CYBERSECURITY NEWS STORIES OF THE WEEK

Here are the top cybersecurity stories from this week that are most relevant to small businesses—along with why they matter and what you can do about them. I could have included 20 different stories.

1. Critical Infrastructure: A Cyber Weak Spot

   Essential services like power, water, and emergency response systems are being targeted by hackers—and many have almost no cybersecurity protections.

   ✅ Why it matters: Your small business depends on these services. If your local power grid or water system is hit, your business could be disrupted—even if you're not directly attacked.

   👉 What to do: Look up your utility providers’ cyber plans. Support community efforts like Cyber Resilience Corps, which helps protect critical systems at the local level.

   🔗 Source

2. Manhattan Parking Breach

   A parking company had a data breach that exposed customer information like names, emails, phone numbers, and car details.

   ✅ Why it matters: If you store any customer or employee information, a similar breach could happen to you.

   👉 What to do: Check how your business stores personal data. Make sure files are protected, software is updated, and only trusted people have access. Ask vendors how they protect your info, too.

   🔗 Source

3. Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyberattack—Some IT Systems Disrupted

   Hawaiian Airlines, part of Alaska Air Group, reported a cybersecurity event that disrupted some of its internal systems—but flights continued as scheduled.

   ✅ Why it matters: Even if your business isn’t in aviation, this highlights how attackers are targeting large service providers—if their systems go down, the ripple effects could affect travel, shipments, or events tied to your business.

   👉 What to do:

   1. Confirm your partners' security resilience—ask airlines, logistics, or event vendors what protections they’ve put in place.

   2. Plan for disruptions—if a vendor faces an IT outage, how will that impact your operations? Maintain alternative processes.

   3. Use multi-source strategies—for shipping, travel, and IT, consider having backup options if one provider goes offline.

   🔗 Source

4. Ransomware Up 132%—Backup Matters More Than Ever

   Ransomware attacks (where hackers lock your files and demand money) have gone up by more than 130% this year.

   ✅ Why it matters: Without a good backup, you might lose all your files—or be forced to pay a ransom.

   👉 What to do: Use the 3-2-1 backup rule:

   • Keep 3 copies of your important files.

   • Store them on 2 different types of storage (like your computer and an external hard drive).

   • Keep 1 copy offsite, like in a cloud service or secure external drive not connected to your network.
     Test your backups to make sure they work!

     (If that seems overwhelming and you have nothing in place now, start simple and get 1 backup in the cloud to start.)

   🔗 Source

5. New State Privacy Laws Could Trip Up SMBs

   More U.S. states are passing their own online privacy laws, each with different requirements for how businesses collect and store customer information.

   ✅ Why it matters: If your business sells online or collects names and emails—even just for newsletters—you might be subject to these laws, even if you’re not in those states.

   👉 What to do: Make sure your website has a clear privacy policy, ask permission before collecting personal info, and look into tools that help with data compliance.

   🔗 Source

🔍 In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)

• 🫵 Last week’s Security Done Easy blog post: Top Ten Priorities for Securing a Work-at-Home Environment (for Women-Owned Small Businesses) »

• Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to get timely important news, such as The National Cybersecurity Alliance’s tips for safe vacation travel.

• I’ve mentioned this before, but I want to say it again, a different way. 1 in 4 businesses will fail because of a cyber attack. 1 in 2 will experience an attack. 1 in 2 of those won’t be able to continue because of the recovery costs. Think of this — of you and three of your business friends — who’s it going to be? (Hope none of you, but you need to take action. I can help.)
  SMBs Hit Hard by Cybercrime Costs

  New data confirms half of all small businesses will be targeted by cybercriminals—and if hit, half of those could go out of business due to recovery costs.

  ✅ Why it matters: The average cost of recovery is $500,000 (legal fees, recovery costs, downtime, etc.) That’s enough to shut down many small businesses.

  👉 What to do: Don’t wait until after an attack. Train your team on cybersecurity basics, set up daily or weekly data backups, and read the fine print on your policy. If you are looking for monitoring and prevention services rather than trying to piece it together yourself, or insurance, let me know. Email [email protected].

  🔗 Source

🤖 The LOL-gorithm

I feel this ;-)

🧷 THE SAFETY SNAP

🛡️ Personal Cyber Safety Tip: Lock Down Your Phone’s Location Settings—Here’s Why and How

Your smartphone constantly shares your location with apps—and sometimes with people you didn’t expect. If left unchecked, this can expose your movements, routines, and even private business meetings. Use your business know-how along with the following tips to find the right balance for you of visibility vs. privacy.

How-To:

📱 Review app permissions: Go to your phone’s settings and check which apps have access to your location. Set most to “Only While Using” or “Never.”

🔒 Turn off location history: On both Android and iPhone, turn off location tracking features like Google Location History or Significant Locations. These often track you silently in the background.

📍 Limit social media geotagging: Don’t post where you are in real-time—wait until you’ve left, especially if you’re traveling solo or working from a remote site.

✅ Why it matters: As a woman business owner, activist, or consultant, your schedule and whereabouts can be valuable to stalkers, competitors, or bad actors. Protecting your location is protecting your power and peace of mind.

Bonus Tip: Periodically audit shared locations—especially in Google Maps, Apple Find My, and messaging apps. Make sure you know and trust who can see you.

💬 A PERSONAL NOTE

This was a catch-up week. No travel. I needed a quieter week. I also laid off the caffeine a bit 😬 

I did find that my foster kitties are content stuffed in my overalls while I work, much like my kids snuggled in their slings while I worked when they were babies. Keeps them (kittens, not babies) from clawing their way up my legs and romping across my desk. Right now they are galloping all over the house while I pack up my laptop to relo to the ice rink for my kid’s lessons. Saturday sports 😄 

👂 TELL ME

Are you finding this newsletter helpful? Do you have questions or topics you’d like addressed? Hit reply and let me know :-)

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