Author Archives: Megan Carnes

Organizations’ devices, data and digital security infrastructure are constantly under threat from bad actors. In 2023, more than 880,000 cybercrime complaints were recorded by the FBI, nearly 10% more than in 2022, resulting in losses exceeding $12.5 billion. With the number of threats and potential losses, only growing, building a sophisticated cybersecurity program is an absolute necessity for modern organizations.

To thrive in these conditions, cyber resilience is key. Cyber resilience refers to an organization’s ability to prevent, address and recover from cyberattacks. Today, these attacks can come from many sources and extend far beyond data breaches. Cyber resilience is all about how well an organization can withstand attacks and operate successfully, even while navigating cybersecurity incidents.

It’s time for healthcare organizations to reevaluate their cybersecurity posture and cyber resilience. Last month was Cybersecurity Awareness month which brings a timely reminder for healthcare organizations to prioritize their digital defenses—not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of the world around them. In an industry where patient data and critical medical and technology systems are increasingly interconnected, improving cyber resilience is no longer optional—it’s essential for protecting sensitive information and maintaining operational continuity.

Welcome back to another installment of our “Thrive Spotlight” blog series.

Our featured employee is Ariel Amarante, Engineer, Security Deployment – Onboarding/ Pro Services.  As a Security Deployment Engineer, Ariel’s main focus is to ensure a seamless transition to the security product implementation for our clients.  He gets to ensure clients can execute their daily roles without having to worry about potential nefarious actors impeding on their organization.

Ariel lives in Yonkers, NY and works out of our Greenwich, CT office.  Outside of work, he loves spending time with his three children.  They do all types of fun things, but their favorite is taking road trips together.  Ariel is a HUGE Yankees fan, so unless he is on a client call, you will see him in his Yankees hat.  He is also an aquarist; he has saltwater fish and coral.

Hi Ariel!  Can you tell us about your background and how you came to Thrive?

I started in IT as a Helpdesk Support Intern during high school in the MID Department for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.  Since then, I have had the privilege of road mapping, implementing, and maintaining new technologies across various industries such as hospitality, retail, and then landing in financial services.  I joined Edge Technology which then got acquired by Thrive in 2022.

Where did you go to school or get training?

I got my AS at Queensborough Community College and started my BA in Computer Science at St. John’s University.  Due to life changes, I left St. John’s University and focused on getting certified with different technologies I was already supporting with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.  I started with getting A+ certified which led me to getting my MSCE and CCNA.  Since then, I have gotten a few additional certifications and recently got my Mimecast certifications.

What do you most enjoy about working for Thrive?

The organizations efficiency and the comradery that we have here.  We all work together to achieve our goals.  Whenever I need assistance, I can reach out to one of my colleagues and they are always willing to help me. #OneThrive holds true.

As part of the security development team, I get to put clients’ minds at ease by ensuring the security applications hand-picked for their environments protect their organization collectively, bringing industry best practices and standards to secure them from the latest unforeseen threats.  It brings me a sense of pride to know that we can help others while doing something that I am passionate about. 

Are there any recent exciting projects at Thrive you can tell us about?

There is excitement every day!  As new products are introduced, we have a front row on learning and implementing these products for our clients.  I always tend to take on projects that I have never implemented before to keep the cogs turning in my head.  I love to learn by being in the driver seat and figuring it out if I get stuck, which leads back to #OneThrive and how the team always ready to step in and help!

Are you interested in learning more about Thrive? Click here!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news, and continue checking our blog for more in our “Thrive Employee Spotlight” series. Until next time…

Cybercriminal tactics continue to become more sophisticated, so it is also vital for healthcare organizations to prioritize continual improvement of cybersecurity measures to stay ahead of potential threats. However, IT teams also need to work with colleagues in other departments to develop business continuity plans that ensure the organization can continue to deliver care and support critical business functions in the event of a cyberattack.

E.R. Jahna Industries, a Florida-based sand mining company, needed to enhance its IT infrastructure and cybersecurity. With limited internal resources, it turned to
Thrive for a comprehensive IT and cybersecurity solution. Thrive delivered a multi-layered cybersecurity framework, migrated critical servers to its private Cloud, and implemented detection and response systems. This partnership allowed E.R. Jahna Industries to safeguard its operations, reduce risks, and free up internal resources.

The Challenge

E.R. Jahna Industries, a leader in sand mining, plays a crucial role in various industries across Florida and Southeast Georgia markets, including construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure. However, their Director of IT quickly realized they were falling behind in terms of security and technology. With a small internal team, E.R. Jahna Industries needed a trusted partner to elevate IT operations and protect assets. That’s where Thrive came in.

Why Thrive Was Chosen

After assessing their security posture and IT environment, E.R. Jahna Industries’ Director of IT, Thomas Single, knew that addressing cybersecurity was a priority. Thrive, with its reputation and existing relationship, was the ideal partner. But it wasn’t just about the technical capabilities but about trust and partnership.

“Thrive was chosen not just because of the technology or cost. It was more about the relationship. I consider them partners, and I knew they could help us get where we needed to be,” Single explained.

Strategic Deployment of Advanced Security Measures

Thrive implemented a comprehensive solution that began with building an Active Directory domain, migrating servers to Thrive’s private Cloud, and enhancing detection and response systems. Their approach included multiple layers of security, addressing infrastructure weaknesses, and protecting E.R Jahna Industries’ operations from potential threats.

“We didn’t have an Active Directory domain in place, and everyone had too much access. Thrive stood up the domain, migrated all our PCs, and helped us every step of the way,” said Single. “They were with us through the entire process, ensuring we had the right tools and systems in place.”

Additionally, Thrive took over the management of cybersecurity training for E.R. Jahna Industries employees, relieving internal resources and providing better coverage with ongoing threat monitoring.

Thrive’s Impact

Since partnering with Thrive, E.R. Jahna Industries has significantly improved its IT security and operations. Enhanced detection systems quickly neutralize potential threats, giving the team a sense of calm and confidence. The migration of critical infrastructure to Thrive’s private Cloud has freed up internal resources, allowing the company to focus on core business activities.

“Since partnering with Thrive, we’ve not only enhanced our security posture, but we’ve also streamlined our IT operations. They’ve helped us prevent issues before they become real problems, which has had a measurable impact on the stability and efficiency of our business.”

“Thrive’s team is at the top of their game. The handoff between the project and support teams was seamless, and every resource we worked with was professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with.” When I first joined the company and did the assessment, I did not sleep at night, thinking we would have a problem, and I was just waiting for that ticking time bomb. Since we put all the tools in place and engaged with Thrive, I sleep at night. I sleep very well at night.” ~ Thomas Single, IT Director, E.R. Jahna Industries

About Thrive

Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Leading Global MSP/MSSP Establishes Midwest Presence

Boston, MA, October 16, 2024 – Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced the acquisition of Safety Net, a leading Michigan-based IT services firm. With the acquisition, Thrive will expand its reach to the Midwest, enabling Safety Net’s customers to have access to Thrive’s industry-leading global Security Operation Center (SOC) & Hybrid Cloud solutions.

Thrive’s mission is to empower their customers to harness the promise of technology, achieving success by proactively utilizing IT, cybersecurity, and Cloud best practices to drive ROI and desired business outcomes for their valued clients. The union of Thrive and Safety Net will ensure that customers in Michigan will continue to enjoy the exceptional high-touch managed services they’ve come to love, along with newly enhanced 24x7x365 global SOC, cybersecurity, and hybrid cloud resources.

“Safety Net’s similar business philosophies and company culture are a perfect fit as our Midwest regional platform,” said Rob Stephenson, CEO of Thrive. “Their product and service sophistication, client first mentality, and dedicated team of talented engineers will allow Thrive to grow in Michigan, as well as expand deeper into other Midwest markets with their strong leadership team.”

This latest acquisition comes at a time of strong growth for Thrive, having completed eleven previous acquisitions over the past two years, most recently acquiring The Longleaf Network. In addition to geographic expansion, Thrive continues to grow its service offerings to meet the growing needs of its customers, including Thrive Incident Response & Remediation, Managed Detection and Response, and Dark Web Monitoring.

“With over two decades of providing strategic IT solutions to Michigan businesses, our team is excited to accept the challenge of accelerating our growth to become the premier managed services provider in the Midwest,” said Tim Cerny, CEO of Safety Net. “Our mission seamlessly aligns with Thrive’s commitment to deliver the best technology outcomes for customers.  With their partnership, we look forward to elevating our technology capabilities to fulfill the rapidly emerging IT complexity that our clients face.”

To learn more about Thrive and its offerings, visit the website.

About Thrive

Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts

Amanda Maguire

thrive@v2comms.com

Should we relax? It’s official: Britain has made significant recent progress regarding its resilience against cyber-attacks. In the July King’s Speech, a new bill was outlined to further protect the critical infrastructure and digital services that Brits rely on daily.

This is a significant step in addressing the rapidly growing number of relentless attacks that devastate our health services, government departments, educational and democratic institutions, and even smaller local authorities. Yet, the urgency of the situation is clear, as we have increasing evidence of the fragility of the UK’s cyber infrastructure – and the aggressive threats the country is facing.

What will this bill do?

The crucial updates made to the existing framework will expand its remit, protecting more UK digital services and supply chains. Regulators will also reportedly be put on a ‘strong footing’ to guarantee the implementation of safety measures, including cost recovery mechanisms and additional powers that facilitate vulnerability investigation.

This legislation is a beacon of hope, as it mandates increased incident reporting to give government teams more accurate data on cyber threats. This includes where a business has been a ransom victim, improving their understanding of current threats and highlighting potential further ones by widening the net regarding the nature of incidents that entities are to report.

This bill will extend UK-wide and is fully endorsed by the NCSC. Its CEO, Felicity Oswald, warned that the UK’s essential service providers cannot afford to ignore these threats.

Why the new legislation?

Two government reviews found that the original frameworks had a positive impact, but progress needed to be made faster to keep up with the rapidly evolving threats to the nation. Over 50% of essential service operators have updated their processes and policies since the creation of the cyber regulations in 2018, hardly enough to match the required pace.

In June, cybercriminals struck the NHS, postponing critical appointments and procedures at some of London’s most significant hospitals, such as Guy’s, St Thomas’, and King’s College. Last year, we saw Sefton, a village in Merseyside, fight off 30,000 cyber-attacks on its council infrastructure per month, with the BBC reporting last month that councils remain at the mercy of criminal hackers. These attacks are not just statistics, they are real and they are affecting businesses and services that we rely on.

This reform is well-needed, with countless examples of attacks like these affecting millions of Brits. However, despite these recent changes, businesses remain fragile throughout the country.

New vulnerabilities

In 2023, the UK led the list of global data breaches. The country was shaken by the largest cyberattack in 2023, as cyber protection firm DarkBeam failed to protect 3.8 billion records. The leak was uncovered by the CEO of SecurityDiscovery, Bob Diachenko, who informed the company of its leak. They promptly addressed and fixed the leak. According to Diachenko, this type of data leak is usually caused by human error, such as forgetting to encrypt data following maintenance.

We also have witnessed a spike in attacks on a new sector: the construction industry. A new report by risk advisory firm Kroll has indicated that cyber-attacks on construction companies doubled in the first quarter of 2024 compared to last year. Kroll advised this increase was most probably down to the ‘sophistication of business email compromise for either financial gain or as a pivot into downstream attacks.’

The company confirmed that the construction sector had seen steady growth in email compromise from 2023 to 2024. According to Construction News5, on-the-go work culture is the culprit behind doubling the frequency of these attacks. Kroll warned: ‘An employee may be more likely to fall for a phishing lure if they are receiving the email on the road, making them potentially less vigilant about the signs of fraud.’

SMS and voice-based tactics have been reported, which raises concern surrounding the potential use of deep fakes and other AIs to further streamline phishing attacks. An insider threat case examined by Kroll earlier this year saw an employee impersonated, a method AI could efficiently utilise.

Arup, a British multinational firm headquartered in London providing services across the building sector, confirmed in May of this year that it was the victim of a £20 million deep fake fraud attack after an employee was manipulated into sending over the sum via an AI- generated video call. The attackers posed as ‘senior officers of the company’ to dupe their way to the money. Arup’s global CIO, Rob Greig, stated that the company had been the victim of a barrage of attacks, increasing both in potency and frequency, in the months leading up to the large-scale attack.

Greig’s quote to Building.co.uk illustrates the ordeal: ‘This is an industry, business, and social issue, and I hope our experience can help raise awareness of the increasing sophistication and evolving techniques of bad actors.’

Police in Hong Kong, where the attack occurred, have made no arrests thus far, and the cyber-criminals are still at large.

As a chilling final example, officials have confirmed that the British critical national infrastructure (CNI) ‘could be left dangerously exposed’ if managers do not appropriately address the increasing cyber-attack threat caused by tension between Britain, China, Russia and Iran.

How fragile is the UK’s critical national infrastructure?

The BBC reported a ‘hack’ in May of this year, resulting in a ‘significant data breach’ of payroll data from the MoD. The then Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, warned that state involvement could not be ruled out. In the days and hours following, at least two additional cyber-attacks hit the Scottish NHS and the UK Border Force.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway revealed that children’s mental health data had been published, and Border Force e-passport gates ceased to work at Britain’s major airports. Considering simmering tensions with other states and escalating wars in Ukraine and Palestine, infrastructure providers are left concerned about potential future attacks.

The lines between political interference and targeted cyber attacks are starting to blur. Considering this, coupled with more and more sectors finding themselves the new victim in the crosshairs of increasingly sophisticated and ruthless attacks, do not let your company be next.

If you are targeted by a bad actor, do you have a well-rehearsed incident response plan in place? Contact Thrive to learn how we can help fortify your digital approach and keep you and your team safe from an ever-evolving threat landscape. We specialise in helping medium sized businesses fortify their critical cyber infrastructure.

Welcome back to another installment of our “Thrive Spotlight” blog series.

Our featured employee is Wendy Davis, Corporate Accounting Supervisor.  Wendy is responsible for month end closing and assisting with the accounts payable processing as well as maintaining and submitting Government and FCC compliance reporting.

Wendy lives in Lakeland, Florida and works out of our Lakeland office.  When Wendy is not working, she loves spending time with her family and friends.  She also loves traveling any chance she gets.

Hi Wendy!  Can you tell us about your background and how you came to Thrive?

I worked as the Controller at DSM Technology Consultants for 8 years.  When DSM was acquired by Thrive nearly 2 years ago, I came on board to the finance department at Thrive.

Where did you go to school or get training?

I attended Webber International University in Florida.

What do you most enjoy about working for Thrive?

I enjoy the team I get to work with and all the new knowledge I’ve gained.

Are there any recent exciting projects at Thrive you can tell us about?

We are working on becoming more automated and less manual.

Are you interested in learning more about Thrive? Click here!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news, and continue checking our blog for more in our “Thrive Employee Spotlight” series. Until next time…

As the UK strives to establish itself as a global AI superpower, a robust cybersecurity stance is paramount. A recent Mission Critical report by Microsoft revealed that a mere 13% of companies are resilient to cyberattacks. This report is a wake-up call to understand the gravity of the UK’s cybersecurity situation.

Microsoft tested company resilience with members of Goldsmiths University London using a model created by Chris Brauer (Director of Innovation at its Institute of Management Studies). The study revealed that 48% of UK businesses are vulnerable to attacks.

The report also shows that the UK is currently in a position to be the global leader in cybersecurity. Still, it’s missing out on a £52 billion dividend by not using these tactics, cutting the annual cost of cyber-attacks from £87 billion a year.

Paul Kelly, the director of Microsoft UK’s security business group, highlights AI’s potential to bolster cybersecurity. He states, “AI has the power not only to enhance the security of your business and data but also to significantly mitigate the impact of a cyber-attack on your bottom line.” This potential of AI to strengthen security should instil a sense of confidence in UK businesses.

As reported by the NCSC, the main risks with AI are likely to be from two types of attacks. The first is prompt injection attacks, one of the most widely reported weaknesses in large language models (LLMs).

The attack occurs through fabricated instructions inserted by a cyber attacker designed to make the AI model behave unintendedly. This includes revealing confidential information, generating offensive content, or triggering unethical actions in a system that accepts unchecked input.

The second attack the NCSC warns of is a data poisoning attack, which occurs when a criminal tampers with the training data of an AI model to carry out an attack – affecting security and bias.

As LLMs become increasingly familiar with passing data to third-party applications and services, the risks from these attacks will grow, requiring an appropriate response. So, what response does the NCSC recommend?

The Guidelines for Secure AI System Development, published by the NCSC and developed with the US’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and agencies across 17 other nations, advise on how medium-sized businesses can manage AI in a way that ensures everyone reaps its benefits and doesn’t fall victim to its many dangers. Executives must understand the potential impact on their organisation if an AI system’s security is breached, affecting its reliability, accessibility, or data privacy.

Businesses must have a well-prepared response strategy in place for potential cyber incidents. Ensuring compliance with relevant laws and industry standards when managing AI-related data is essential. Three key questions to consider regarding your organisation’s AI safety are:

• How would you respond to a severe security incident involving an AI tool?
• Is everyone involved in AI deployment (including senior executives and board members) familiar enough with AI systems to assess the potential dangers? This understanding is beneficial and crucial in the current cybersecurity landscape. What’s the worst-case scenario (regarding reputation and operations) if an AI tool in your company encounters an issue?

Until recently, most cybercriminals needed to carry out attacks themselves, but rapidly evolving access to generative AI enables automatic attack research and execution. This presents a new and growing threat to your business.

One of its primary capabilities is ‘data scraping’ when information from public sources (social media and company websites) is collected and analysed. This approach dangerously invents hyper-personalised, timely and relevant messages that form the basis of phishing attacks and any attack that employs social engineering techniques.

Another notable trait of AI algorithms is that they gather intel and adapt in real time. This has positive outcomes, such as providing more precise information for corporate users. But it’s also a double-edged sword, as it aids cybercriminals enormously in refining the efficacy of their techniques to avoid detection and steal as much data as possible.

AI can swiftly pinpoint high-value individuals within an organisation. These could include members with access to sensitive staff or client data, limited technological expertise, broad or unrestricted system access, or valuable relationships that could be exploited to reach other critical targets.

The latter is expected, with AI-driven social engineering attacks leveraging AI algorithms to manipulate human behaviour to obtain sensitive data, money or high-value items or access to a system, database, or device. These attacks can be highly sophisticated, using AI to develop a persona to communicate effectively with a target in realistic and plausible situations that would leverage contacts, complete with false audio or video, to engage them.

Since two-thirds of security leaders expect offensive AI to be the norm for cyberattacks within a year, let’s look at some examples from close to home.

The British government has declared its intention to fund AI safety research with £8.5m to tackle online threats, including deepfakes. The declaration prompted a dire warning from the NCSC in January 2024, noting that malicious AI will “almost certainly” lead to increased cyber-attack volume and impact over the next two years, particularly those featuring ransomware. 30% of security professionals surveyed in the compliance specialist ISMS’s new research claimed to have experienced a deepfake-related incident in the past year.

Protect your business from evolving AI-driven cyber threats with Thrive’s cutting-edge security solutions. Our expert team, equipped with cutting-edge technology, is experienced in working alongside companies to safeguard data, ensure compliance and keep you ahead of the curve. Don’t wait for an attack to expose vulnerabilities – let’s fortify your defences. Download our AI policy template to get started today.

The main element behind successful phishing attacks is taking advantage of normal human behavior. This issue shows that just one mistake in the cyber equation can result in a major breach, and the advancement of generative AI has made phishing messages more sophisticated, increasing the overall risk. Third-party email filtering solutions and regular security awareness training are the most effective ways to mitigate phishing attacks. Regular training, along with phishing tests and targeted retraining, are proven methods to reduce user credential leaks from this very common attack method.