NLB Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly interrupted many aspects of daily life. It seems like every month we are faced with a new challenge to overcome, not only in our personal lives but also as a community. Recently, signs have been appearing at business around the country requesting electronic payment or the use of exact change for purchases. This has sparked several questions about what is happening regarding the coin supply.

Typosquatting is perhaps the least sophisticated form of domain name hacking. It relies on user error, specifically the odds of a user mis-typing a URL address into their web browser. Hacker register a misspelled version of a well-known domain name, such as “gooogle.com” or “gooogl.com” rather than google.com. (Important: do not visit either “gooogle.com” or “gooogl.com”. They are dangerous).

Domain names are a foundational service of the Internet, and are controlled by a protocol called Domain Name System, or DNS. While the details are complicated, DNS ultimately serves a straightforward purpose: it helps route traffic on the internet using human-friendly names.

Everything connected to the internet, from smartphones and fitness trackers to enterprise-level email servers, has a unique identifying address called an IP address. Every activity on the internet, from checking email to web browsing to posting to Instagram is a means of connecting a request from one IP address to its destination IP address. 

Your company’s online presence relies on a domain name. That domain name is registered, and you would think as a result that it would be hard for a criminal to steal, but that’s not the case. Domain name compromise makes possible a wide array of attacks--including the introduction of ransomware and other extinction-level exploits.

While no business can make themselves a hundred percent cybersecure, understanding not only the way domain names work, but also how they can be leveraged by hackers is mission critical when it comes to avoiding common security pitfalls. 

We’re not even halfway through 2020, and already it’s been a record-breaking year for ransomware attacks. Barely a week goes by without reports of a new strain or variant of malware wreaking havoc among companies. No industry, category, size, or group is safe from this cyber scourge.

Not all summer scams target unwary travelers. There are legion crimes waiting to happen that target their victims at home or in the workplace. 

Vacation season presents a golden opportunity for scammers. Their targets are typically looking for bargains and are more likely to let their guard down, especially now with demand for rentals and hotel space at an all time high. For those hoping to get some rest and relaxation away from work and other responsibilities, the competition for that perfect vacation spot can present a perilous lure--and scammers know it.

With the arrival of summer and the easing of shelter in place restrictions nationwide, people are planning vacations, looking for jobs, and starting home improvement projects. 

Unfortunately, scammers are gearing up to take advantage of these summertime, post-quarantine activities with a wide array of schemes aimed at turning your plans, projects and even your aspirations into cold hard cash.

It’s that time again for NLB’s annual “Race to a Million”.  For the next 90 days NLB teams of three will be lacing up their walking shoes and putting their best feet forward and race to be the first team to reach one million steps.  The first team to reach a million steps will win bragging rights, and a total of $750 for the team to donate to the nonprofit of their choice.  That $250 for each team member! 

Quarantine fatigue is not only sending people to crowded bars in Wisconsin. We’re all getting tired of it—call it quaran-tigue—and that could spell trouble on the cybersecurity front. 

Multiple studies and articles of late have noted a trend that could have serious repercussions in the days, weeks and months to come. The caution employers and employees alike had talked about in making WFH (work from home) a workable, secure answer to widespread social distancing measures has given way to overconfidence