The Problem with Passwords Love 'em or hate 'em, our digital world is full of passwords. While this feels like a plague unique to the modern digital era, if you think back you'll realize that they've always been there. We used to have ATM PINs, locker combinations, and even secret whisperings to get our hooch in the local speakeasy. And in that time, they haven't changed that much! They're still strings of characters, words, numbers, and hieroglyphs that get you past a security checkpoint of some kind. The major difference is that now, with brute force password guessing programs and…
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Alpine Cyber Solutions is a proponent of well-planned and executed application of cloud computing as an enabler for a company to improve its security stance. We spend quite a bit of time trying to convince people that this class of technologies is the financial and technological future of IT. We have already written about some misconceptions you and others may have about the cloud. There are definite challenges to moving a large datacenter and all of its applications to the cloud. But there are plenty of well-trodden patterns in place that make it achievable and immediately beneficial for companies who can see past…
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Data travels across the Internet governed by several sets of rules called protocols. Collectively, these protocols make up the Internet Protocol, or IP. This standardized set of rules is what allows devices to communicate across networks. It's what makes the Internet possible. Recently, you may have come across a term called IP convergence. What does this terminology mean? If IP is the set of rules that governs how data travels across the Internet, then what is convergence? IP convergence refers to the capability of the Internet to act as a single pathway for various applications that traditionally had their own…
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Over the last couple of weeks, in the wake of the most recent abhorrent events bringing systemic racism back to the forefront of our minds, we at Alpine have taken a moment to look inward. Yes, we absolutely vow to take every step possible to eliminate unconscious prejudice from our hiring and compensation processes. Yes, we each individually vow to put ourselves into the shoes of every person of color with whom we interact, and treat them with the respect we expect from others. Yes, we will ensure that our culture is anti-racist, rather than just not racist. And we…
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We covered a range of topics over the past several weeks. If you missed some (or all) of them see the summaries below, and click to learn more. Passwords: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation Love 'em or hate 'em, passwords are a part of digital life. Learn how these 5 simple rules can reduce your chance of compromise. How to Avoid the Ransomware Terror The Dastardly evil-doer has taken your system hostage. Do you pay the ransom, or lose your files forever? Learn about a third option in our ransomware article. How to Protect Against Phishing…
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