business innovation, Igniting Change, Podcast

130: Michael Davis—Cybersecurity: Pushing Defenders Ahead of Attackers

Posted on by Andrea Simon

Michael Davis explains why cybersecurity is more urgent than ever!

Are you a small business and think cybersecurity is really not a concern for you? The hackers are going to go after the big guys: banks, insurance companies, large retailers, not you. Right? Wrong. Listen in as Michael Davis takes us through the swift evolution of cybercrime and the urgent need for all businesses to stop the attackers before they attack you. You literally can’t afford to miss this podcast, it’s that important. Listen, learn and share. And be careful out there.

If you use the Web, you can be hacked

Michael DavisCase study: A chain of pizza stores had its point of sale invaded by malware through which hackers could watch transactions taking place and capture individual customers’ information. What was even more lucrative for the hackers was watching the chain’s bookkeeper post monies to the company bank account, then redirecting the funds into their own account, stealing $300,000 in a quick minute. Even worse, once they knew the way in, they could blackmail the pizza chain’s owner for monthly fees to avoid being hacked again. Welcome to the modern-day version of Jesse James.

Cybersecurity: what businesses of all sizes should be concerned about: 

Whether you think your installed malware is sufficient, or you feel you need to hire a chief security officer, or you’ve decided to outsource your security to a professional cybersecurity firm, now is the time to find out more so you can make the right moves for you and your business! Indeed, this podcast is coming at a great time for all of us.

Who is Michael Davis? 

Michael A. Davis has been educating the global community on the evolution of IT security for several years now. His portfolio of clients includes major corporations such as AT&T, Sears and Exelon, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense.

Michael’s early embrace of entrepreneurship earned him a spot on BusinessWeek’s “Top 25 under 25” list, stemming from his launch of IT security consulting firm Savid Technologies, recognized as one of the fastest growing companies of its decade. With a passion for educating others, Michael is a contributing author for the “Hacking Exposed” book series and has become a keynote speaker at conferences and symposiums worldwide.

Most recently, Michael has served as CTO of CounterTack, provider of an endpoint security platform delivering real-time cyber threat detection and forensics. Michael recognizes, as should all of us, that the cybersecurity battle is moving to the endpoint, and that conventional IT security technologies can’t ultimately protect enterprises. Firms such as CounterTack offer consumers continuous attack monitoring backed by automated threat analysis.

What you can learn from Michael Davis’s podcast that you can do today: 

One of the reasons I am so anxious to share with you Michael’s podcast is that I have a good friend, a fellow consultant and culture change expert, who recently had her data hacked. She paid a ransom but never got her data back. Has this happened to you? Could it? According to Michael, we’re all vulnerable.

Here are just a few of Michael’s tips from our conversation:

  • Your iPad, iPhone and Android are engineered to be much less vulnerable to hackers than your Mac or PC. Use them as much as you can to secure your information.
  • The cloud is an excellent way to thwart hackers. Consider shifting from your office servers to Dropbox, Box and other cloud-based services. They are far more secure and have backups to protect you.
  • Instruct your staff not to open phishing or other suspicious emails. There are lots of training programs that can help you create a more secure business environment.

Some blogs and podcasts on this subject you might enjoy:

Additional resources:

Download the 1-page synopsis of my book, “On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights” here