Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services

Insurance Agency in San Diego, California

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Mimosas: Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

If you thought a mimosa was just a half-OJ, half-champagne combo to accompany brunch, you probably limited its importance to Easter, Mother’s Day and bridal showers also.

But, believe it or not, this tangerine-tinted aureate laureate actually owns a day on the calendar – May 16th – National Mimosa Day.

Defining the idea that “simple is elegant,” a mimosa can be as straightforward as equal parts orange juice and champagne, which is possibly how it’s become such a go-to cocktail for labor-intensive occasions.

Want something more colorful? Use blood oranges, a fruit originating in Sicily and Spain, and chill the prosecco!

Recipe for Blood Orange Mimosa

from The Food Network

1 bottle Prosecco

1 ½ Cups fresh blood orange juice

1 Tablespoon super-fine granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier orange liqueur

Chill the Prosecco. Combine fresh blood orange juice with sugar and orange liqueur and stir. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. To serve, pour into the bottom of champagne glasses and slowly top-off with ice-cold Prosecco.

If you own a bar or restaurant, National Mimosa Day gives you the opportunity to pour it on for your customers with some of your own impressive combos. It has all the ingredients of a party day, but keep in mind – there’s no bigger party pooper than finding out – when it’s too late – that your booming bar business is underinsured.

Fusco & Orsini offers bar and restaurant coverage for the unforeseen, from a natural disaster to a customer relations accident. There are tremendous liabilities involved when you’re in the food and beverage business, and you need to have appropriate insurance coverage.

By letting Fusco & Orsini handle damage control, you can stick to the work of wine tasting, meal planning, and supervising servers, while we take care of mishaps involving equipment, legal issues or property damage. Email/text Mike on our team at mike@foagency.com or 858-384-1506 to get started!

There’s no better time to make it a brunch to remember, and here’s to your customers sipping citrus on National Mimosa Day, when the only thing that’s bubbling over is the champagne.

 

 

Cyber Actors Exploiting Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

In a public service announcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that remote administration tools, such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), as an attack vector has been on the rise since mid-late 2016.

What does this mean for you?

Simply put, this means your identity, login credentials and other sensitive information can be compromised.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommend businesses and private citizens review and understand what remote accesses their networks allow and take steps to reduce the likelihood of compromise, which may include disabling RDP if it is not needed.

What is Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)?

RDP is a proprietary network protocol that allows an individual to control the resources and data of a computer over the Internet. Cyber actors can inject malware or ransomware into the remote systems – and they are difficult to detect.

What makes you susceptible to an attack?

  • Weak passwords – passwords using dictionary words or do not include a mixture of uppercase/lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters – are vulnerable to brute-force attacks and dictionary attacks.
  • Outdated versions of RDP may use flawed CredSSP, the encryption mechanism, thus enabling a potential man-in-the-middle attack.
  • Allowing unrestricted access to the default RDP port (TCP 3389).
  • Allowing unlimited login attempts to a user account.

How do you protect yourself?

Because RDP can remotely control a system entirely, usage should be closely regulated, monitored, and controlled. The FBI and DHS recommend implementing the following best practices to protect against RDP-based attacks:

  • Audit your network for systems using RDP for remote communication. Disable the service if unneeded or install available patches. Users may need to work with their technology vendors to confirm that patches will not affect system processes.
  • Verify all cloud-based virtual machine instances with a public IP do not have open RDP ports, specifically port 3389, unless there is a valid business reason to do so. Place any system with an open RDP port behind a firewall and require users to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access it through the firewall.
  • Enable strong passwords and account lockout policies to defend against brute-force attacks.
  • Apply two-factor authentication, where possible.
  • Apply system and software updates regularly.
  • Maintain a good back-up strategy.
  • Enable logging and ensure logging mechanisms capture RDP logins. Keep logs for a minimum of 90 days and review them regularly to detect intrusion attempts.
  • When creating cloud-based virtual machines, adhere to the cloud provider’s best practices for remote access.
  • Ensure third parties that require RDP access are required to follow internal policies on remote access.
  • Minimize network exposure for all control system devices. Where possible, critical devices should not have RDP enabled.
  • Regulate and limit external to internal RDP connections. When external access to internal resources is required, use secure methods, such as VPNs, recognizing VPNs are only as secure as the connected devices.

For more information and to view the full public service announcement, click below: 

CYBER ACTORS INCREASINGLY EXPLOIT THE REMOTE DESKTOP PROTOCOL TO CONDUCT MALICIOUS ACTIVITY

Our team is standing by to help you with your cyber security questions and needs. Call or Text: (858) 384-1506 or EMAIL: hello@foagency.com.

Cyber Security Safety Poster for Your Office

Do your part to keep your office safe from cyber attacks! You can download this one-page flyer and post it in your office: 4 Steps to Cyber Security Infographic

  1. When in doubt, don’t click!
  2. Think twice before installing anything on company computers.
  3. Never give out company or personal information to people you don’t know or don’t regularly work with.
  4. Never be afraid to ask for help if you feel like you or your company’s security has been compromised. Speak up!

If you’d like to learn more about keeping your office safe, check out our easy-to-navigate planning guide below!

Cyber Security Planning Guide

Cybersecurity: What is Spear Phishing?

Fishing remains a top U.S. pastime. Sadly, another kind of “phishing” has become popular, too.

Phishing is a type of cyber attack in which hackers disguise themselves as trusted sources online in order to acquire sensitive information. It is a common and simple scam that can put you, your employees and your business at risk. Worse yet, more resourceful criminals are resorting to a modified and more sophisticated technique called “spear phishing” in which they use personal information to pose as colleagues or other sources specific to individuals or businesses.

Have you ever received an email that almost convinced you to urgently help a friend or coworker in need? A spear phishing attack is often disguised as a message from a close friend or business partner and is more convincing than a normal phishing attempt; when messages contain personal information, they are much more difficult to identify as malicious.

The attacks are on the rise. In fact, in a report released by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, it’s stated that there were over 120,000 cyber crime-related complaints against businesses last year, resulting in over $800 million lost.

We don’t want this to be you!

Though it’s difficult to completely avoid the risk that spear phishing attacks pose, there are ways to prevent further damage to your business. Make sure your employees are aware of these simple techniques:

  • Never send financial or personal information electronically, even if you know the recipient well. It may be possible for a third party to intercept this information, especially if the recipient is later subject to a spear phishing attack.
  • Be cautious when you are asked to divulge personal information in an email. Even if it appears to be from a trusted source, it could be a hacker impersonating another person or group.
  • Only share personal information on secure websites or over the phone. When in a Web browser, you can ensure a website is secure when you see a lock icon in the URL bar, or when an “s” is present in the “https” of a URL. The “s” stands for “secure” at the end of the normal “http”.
  • Some spear-phishing schemes use telephone numbers, so be sure to never share information over the phone unless you initiate the call to a trusted number.
  • Encourage employees to think twice about what they post online. Spear phishing hackers often attain personal information through social media sites. Make sure that employees know how to keep this information private to protect their own security as well as that of your business.
  • Regularly check all online accounts and bank statements to ensure that no one has accessed them without authorization.
  • Never enter any personal or financial information into a pop-up window or a Web browser. Never click on links or open attachments from unknown sources. Even opening a file that seems familiar can give a spear phishing attacker access to personal information stored on your device.
  • Ensure that your company’s security software is up to date. Firewalls and anti-virus software can help protect against spear phishing attacks.

For a printable version of our spear phishing prevention tips, click here.

Cyber Security Planning Guide

Does cybersecurity leave you scratching your head? Grab a cup of coffee and we’ll walk you through it. We promise our easy-to-navigate guide will answer all of your questions.

First, it’s important to acknowledge that businesses of all sizes need to be proactive in order to protect themselves against growing cyber threats. As larger companies take steps to secure their systems, smaller, less secure businesses are becoming increasingly attractive targets for cybercriminals.

In our Cyber Security Planning Guide, you’ll discover action items for protecting your company’s data, website, email, mobile phones, facility and more. We’ve also included a glossary to help you understand commonly used terms like skimming, pharming, and phishing.

Please note, our planning guide is designed to help employers protect their business, information, and customers from cyber threats. This guide is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. It is generally recommended that businesses using sophisticated networks with dozens of computers consult a cybersecurity expert in addition to using this cybersecurity planning guide.

To receive a copy of your free Cyber Security Planning Guide, please complete the following form:

Complete to receive your Cyber Security Planning Guide!

If you’d like someone from our team to walk through this guide with you, please call or text: (858) 384-1506.

 

 

 

What’s Your Score? Cyber Risk Exposure Scorecard

Do your employees use their company-issued computers indefinitely without updating the password? Does your organization use cloud-based storage? If so, tune in!

In recent years, cyber attacks have emerged as one of the most significant threats facing organizations of all sizes. The Internet and other network operations have created risks that were unheard of less than a decade ago. When cyber attacks, such as data breaches and hacks occur, they can result in devastating damage, such as:

  • business disruptions
  • revenue loss
  • legal fees
  • forensic analysis
  • customer or employee notifications

It is important to remember that no organization is immune to the impact of cyber crime. As a result, cyber liability insurance has become an essential component of any risk management program.

We encourage you to download our 20-question cyber risk exposure scorecard to understand your level of risk. If you need help completing the scorecard or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or text Ray on our team at (858) 384-1506.

Implement a Cyber Incident Response Plan

Available to Customers that Subscribe to our MyWave Connect Portal

All businesses should be concerned with data protection and plan for cyber attacks.  It’s a known fact that regardless of size, all companies are at risk of a data breach.

The implementation of a Cyber Incident Response Plan is crucial, but many business owners don’t know where to begin.  Clients of Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services that subscribe to MyWave Connect annually have access to our “Cyber Incident Response Plan Creation and Implementation Toolkit.”   The Toolkit, which is 47 pages long and provides a step-by-step guide to plan creation, may be downloaded and customized to the specific needs of each business.

How Do I Subscribe to MyWave Connect?

Contact our employee benefits, risk management and compliance consultant, Ray Ramirez,  by completing the form below.

California Legislation Introduces New Data Breach Notification Law

Many states have embraced standards that businesses must follow to safeguard personal identifying information. Often these standards include ‘Data Security Breach Notification Requirements.’ In California, the California Attorney General’s Office implements these laws.

It’s important to note that in February new legislation was introduced to strengthen California’s data breach notification law that protects consumers. The bill was created to close a loophole in the current data breach law by requiring businesses to notify consumers when passport numbers, as well as biometric information, is compromised, which was not previously required.

California Businesses Should Take Note

As a business owner, it’s crucial that you take proactive measures to protect your customer’s private information.  California Law requires individuals or businesses that own, license or maintain personal information about Californians to safeguard this information. It’s up to each company to implement reasonable security procedures and practices protecting their data from unauthorized access, use, destruction, modification or disclosure.  Under these laws, a business is defined as any group that is chartered, organized, or holds an authorization certificate or license or under California law or the law of any other state, the federal government or of any other country.

There are certain businesses exempt from California’s breach notification law, including:

  • Health care providers, contractors, or health care service plans regulated by the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.
  • Financial institutions which adhere to the California Financial Information Privacy Act.
  • Businesses governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) security and privacy rules.
  • Companies that are regulated by federal or state laws that provide greater protections to personal identifying information than what California’s breach notification laws require.
  • Entities that obtain information under an agreement authorized by the vehicle code and that are subject to the confidentiality requirements of the vehicle code.

Under the breach notification law, personal identifying information includes a person’s first name or first initial and last name in conjunction with one or more of the following:

  • A California identification card number or driver’s license number.
  • A Social Security number
  • Medical information about a person’s medical history, mental or physical condition, or diagnosis by a health care professional medical treatment.
  • An account, debit or credit card number, in combination with any required access code, password or security code that would permit access to an individual’s financial information.
  • Information or data collected by use or operation of an automated license plate recognition system. Personal identifying information may include a username or email address, along with a password or security question and answer that would permit access to an online account.
  • Health insurance information.

It’s essential you know what a breach is. Under the current law, a security system breach is the unauthorized acquisition of computerized data that jeopardizes the confidentiality, security, or integrity of the personal identifying information kept by another person or business. Ascertaining whether a breach took place under the law depends on if the affected information was encrypted or unencrypted.  To understand more about California’s data breach notification law, visit the following state resources.

California Attorney General’s Office
www.oag.ca.gov/home
Breach Reporting
The attorney general’s office offers the following guidance regarding data security breach reporting.
Business Resources
The attorney general’s office has made the following resources available to businesses.

Protecting Your Business

It’s critical to ensure the success of your business, and it’s the law that you do all you can to protect your customer’s private information. Here are some ways you can protect yourself and your customers from a data breach.

  • Safeguard Data
  • Keep Only the Information that You Need
  • Destroy Before Disposal
  • Manage Use of Portable Media
  • Keep Security Software Up-To-Date
  • Secure All Computers
  • Stop Unencrypted Data Transmission

We also recommend carrying a cyber liability policy. Cyber liability insurance is designed to help the insured recoup losses related to both first- and third-party risks associated with supplying and collecting information on the internet to.  Are you ready to discuss your business needs? Call 858-384-1506 today and chat with an insurance professional at Fusco & Orsini, who can help you create a customized cyber liability policy, tailored to your business.  And remember to ask for assistance regarding our risk management services.

CONTACT US TODAY!

Risk Management Consultation

OSHA INCREASES Civil Penalty Amounts for 2019

As if OSHA penalties weren’t already drastic, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a final rule on 1/23/2019 that increases maximum penalty amounts for 2019.  The numbers are staggering; for most violations, the new maximum penalty amount is $13,260.  For willful or repeated violations, the updated maximum penalty amount is $132,598.

Normally, Federal law requires OSHA to increase penalty amounts by January 15 every year.  However, the federal government shutdown delayed the process in 2019.

OSHA RELEASES NEW MAXIMUM PENALTIES FOR 2019

Staggering Penalties for OSHA Violations

ACTION STEPS

First and foremost, employers should become familiar with OSHA’s new penalty amounts and review their workplace policies and procedures to ensure OSHA compliance.

Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services offers a wide range of risk management and compliance resources.  Contact Ray Ramirez for assistance with the implementation of workplace policies to avoid large OSHA penalties.

 

 

Free Training Materials for California Sexual Harassment Prevention

At Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services, we understand the importance of keeping your employees protected.

Did you know California passed a new law in September requiring sexual harassment prevention training? The law, which requires all employers with 5 or more employees to provide two hours of training, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.

We are happy to provide all of our California clients with free training materials via our Training360 platform. There’s a 120-minute training webinar for supervisors and a 60-minute training for non-supervisor employees. Please contact our president, mike@foagency.com, to gain access to these materials.

We also encourage you to read up on why the law changed and what to expect, by reading our sexual harassment law overview.

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