Our Favorite Trails in Akron & Northeast Ohio

It’s easy to take Akron’s outdoor recreational opportunities for granted—especially when we compare our backyards with those living in Colorado or Wyoming or Maine. Sure, residents of those states are blessed with amazing scenery and vast open spaces to explore by foot or on bike, but those of us living in Northeast Ohio have it pretty good too.

For example, did you know that the Cuyahoga Valley National Park has over 125 miles of trails for us to enjoy, or that 57.6 miles of the 1,440-mile Buckeye Trail (which circles the state of Ohio) passes through Akron, with only 4% of that on sidewalks?

These trails range in difficulty from easy to advanced and there are plenty of different options for kids, older adults, and more serious athletes and trail runners. That’s pretty impressive considering that many of us live near a large city (Akron or Cleveland).

In addition, we are surrounded by several amazing park systems as well as numerous lakes and streams that offer abundant fishing and kayaking opportunities (including the Cuyahoga River which was just named River of the Year).

I mention all of this because at PCR Business Systems, we understand how important it is to be active outside of the office. We not only want to be happy and healthy for our families and ourselves, but being fit also makes us more productive at work. We believe getting active as a team is truly motivating, as evidenced in our May Movement Challenge.

We recently discussed how exercise and productivity go hand in hand. That, combined with spring being in full bloom, we thought this would be a good time to list a few of our favorite Akron hiking and running trails as well as some of the resources we use to help us get out the door and lace up our running and hiking shoes.

Brandywine Falls, CVNP

Hiking/Running/Biking Trails

Brandywine Falls Trail 1.4 Miles Hiking Moderate Boston Heights, OH
3 Waterfalls Loop 7.5 Miles Hiking Moderate Brecksville, OH
Adam Run Trail 3.3 Miles Hiking Moderate Northampton, OH
Buckeye Trail 57.6 Miles Multi-Purpose Moderate Akron, OH
Towpath Trail 87 Miles Multi-Purpose Easy to Moderate Cleveland to Akron
Blue Hen to Buttermilk 1.6 Miles Hiking Moderate Brecksville, OH
Dogwood Trail 2.3 Miles Hiking Moderate Akron, OH
Sand Run Jogging Trail 6 Miles Multi-Purpose Easy Akron, OH
More CVNP Hikes + 125 Miles Mult-Purpose Easy to Moderate NE Ohio

Parks

Running Stores

Trail Running Groups

Running Races

Please comment and let us know which trails are your favorites.

11 ways business owners can keep an eye on their IT

There are two critical mistakes that I see business owners and executives make when it comes to their company’s information technology, both of which can cripple a thriving business in the matter of minutes.

Mistake #1- Thinking a data security breach or system failure can’t happen to you. It can, it does, and if you let your guard down, it will. We see data breaches happen to small and medium size businesses every month, and business owners or CEOs all say the same thing—”we didn’t think it could happen to us.”

Mistake #2- Assuming that everything is set up properly, up-to-date, or that your employees are following the rules. It’s imperative that you are familiar with your IT so that you can make sure everything is in place and working the way it should. It’s just as important to educate your employees on best practices so they don’t do anything to jeopardize your network’s security.

Below are 11 critical IT components that you need to be sure are in place and working properly.

  1. Backups: Be certain your backups are doing their jobs. Know how to test them and be an active part of the process. This exercise will show you how long it would take to recover.
  2. Incidence Response: If there were to be a breach where is it most likely to occur? How will you recover? Who will it affect (which business operation(s)? How much downtime/data loss are you looking at? Is the sensitive data of your customers at risk? If their data is compromised what will you need to communicate? Will you need a layer? Will law enforcement be involved?
  3. Sensitive Data: What kind of data does your company store? Where is it stored? Is remote sharing like Dropbox™ allowed? Is it controlled, or is data being shared over hundreds of personal accounts?
  4. Licensing: Is all your software licensed? Compare agreements to all user accounts.
  5. Inactive users: Make sure inactive users are disabled and not continuously logged on. Make sure to review this periodically
  6. Permissions: Make sure users only have permission to access the data critical for their jobs. Review this periodically as well.
  7. Be Proactive: What steps are you taking to be proactive in ensuring a breach or data loss doesn’t occur? Are you providing user-awareness training? Do you use MultiFactor Authentication for all remote applications (e.g., VPNs, Office365, SalesForce, all web logins, etc).
  8. Patch Reporting: Make sure to receive and review all patch management reports. These will show the machines that have been updated monthly.
  9. Vulnerability reports: Review these at least monthly to assess vulnerabilities in your network and find resolutions.
  10. Review elevated credentials: Ensure only appropriate people have elevated credentials and that they don’t log into these account 24/7/365. Elevated permissions are for making changes only; not for everyday logins.
  11. Engage a 3rd party to do a best practice audit: This is not to question or discredit your IT team, but simply to get additional sets of eyes on your systems. IT systems can almost always be improved but there are costs involved. IT managers will often let items go after being told “no.” You can also think of a 3rd party audit as a proofreader for your network. Great writers never proof their own work. Why? Because it’s extremely difficult to catch your own mistakes.

If you have questions or are interested in having a professional team of experts “get eyes” on your IT, give me a call directly at (330) 572-7526 x 1001 or email me at pat@pcrbusiness.com.

Pat Carroll President PCR Business Systems

Pat Carroll
President, PCR Business Systems

PCR Business Systems is the leading technology solutions provider for small and medium size businesses in Northeast Ohio. We are currently offering a free Network & Data Security Check-up for area businesses who want to be certain their network is set up and working properly.

Best Practice Approach to Data Security

Below is a summary of the presentation given by PCR Business Systems president, Pat Carroll, at the 2019 Day Ketterer CyberSecurity Seminar. For more information on protecting your business from cyber attacks, or if you have any doubts about your network security you can contact Pat directly at pat@pcrbusiness.com or (330) 572-7526 x 1001.

PCR is also offering Northeast Ohio businesses a free network security audit to make sure you have the proper cybersecurity measures in place. Remember, it’s much easier to prevent a cyber attack than it is to recover from one.


Simple things that companies can do to guard against cyber attacks. These items need to be in place before anything else:

  • Centrally controlled, monitored Antivirus
  • Device control with routine patching – not just Windows, all programs – java, adobe etc
  • Unique user IDs with central control
  • Modern Backup – no tapes

Preventative measures that all companies need to implement:

  • No users with admin rights to computers
  • No elevated permissions logging in for normal computer use – domain admin or 365 admin etc
  • User awareness training – people are the easy target
  • Best in class, properly configured email security – .js, .exe, .zip should never get through
  • Multifactor authentication on all web facing logins – Office365 is a must

Know your risks and review at least annually:

  • Where is sensitive data stored?
  • Typical – PII, EHI
  • Trade Secrets
  • Non-Typical

In addition, schedule periodic reviews of accounts, permissions and don’t allow access if it is not needed.

Know how an attacker is most likely to strike:

  • Use information
  • Trick users to send money
  • Demand a ransom
  • Expose your information?

You have been attacked, what will save you?

Properly configured backup

  • Test it
  • Attack it – test permissions, try to get to it

Properly configured firewall

UTM FEATURES

  • Intrusion Detection with alerting configured
  • IP Reputation
  • Content Filtering
  • Look for suspicious activity leaving the network

Misc:

  • Banking – Know your exposure. Consider Positive Pay on checks and ACH
  • Cyber Liability Insurance
  • Be careful on the questions they require
  • Know what they won’t cover

 

 

 

Pat Carroll 

pat@pcrbusiness.com  (330) 572-7526 x 1001

 

 

The Cybercrime Files- Case #104: The Heavy Machinery Hacker

*This is a true account of a local cybercrime. However, the names of the victims and businesses have been changed to protect their identities.

To learn more about Cyber Security Threat Management Services in Akron, OH click here.


INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

OFFENSE: Email Fraud

VICTIM:  DDD Construction

LOCATION: Akron, OH

DATE: 2-20-19

LEAD INVESTIGATOR: Patrick Carroll

NOTES: Email fraud has been around since the earliest days of the internet. Today, it’s hard to go even a single week without receiving some sort of spam or chain letter.

Fortunately, most of us have a pretty good idea of what to look out for—if someone asks you to wire money or for your bank account number in an email; chances are it’s a phishing scam. And if you get an email saying that you’ve won the big sweepstakes…well, as much as we wish it were true, it’s pretty easy to conclude the sender is up to no good.

But what happens when you get an email from a trusted source asking you for money to complete a business transaction that has been in the works for several weeks?

In the case of DDD Construction, you get ready to send the money.

FINDINGS: DDD Construction is a small company based in Akron, Ohio looking to grow their operation. In order to meet customer demands and stay competitive in the market, DDD decided they needed a new piece of heavy equipment.

After weeks of shopping around, DDD found exactly what they were looking for. Phone calls were made, emails were sent, and the price was negotiated to $15,000.

Shortly after the price was agreed upon, DDD received an email from the seller asking DDD Construction to wire the $15,000 over immediately. They claimed to have another buyer interested in the machinery, and needed the money right away or would be forced to sell to the other interested party.

Even though this wasn’t standard practice for the seller the emails seemed legit and were written in the same style/tone as the previous emails.

Minutes before wiring over the money the CFO of the construction company called the seller to verify the transaction. The seller had no idea what he was talking about. The email had been sent from a hacker posing as the seller!

Find out if your company is vulnerable to a Cyber Attack with this Free Network Security Assessment.

CONCLUSIONS: Email scammers are getting more and more creative. In this instance, a cyber criminal hacked into DDD Construction’s email account and monitored all of their incoming and outgoing emails.

After reading the emails sent between the seller and DDD, the hacker posing as the seller, sent DDD Construction an email asking that the money be wired over (to his account- disguised as the seller’s business account) immediately. Because the hacker had been monitoring the emails all along he was able to mimic the seller’s writing style and voice, making it very difficult for DDD to suspect anything was wrong.

This type of scam is becoming more and more common and we’re seeing a lot of this email scam in Akron, OH lately. This isn’t the first instance we’ve come across of a cyber criminal hacking into a business email account and posing as a client or customer.

We have also been seeing similar instances of hackers posing as someone’s family member or friend and asking for financial help.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: If you have any doubts, double check- especially if money is involved. It can be very hard to distinguish between a real email and email fraud if a hacker is using a trusted email account from someone you know. This is why cyber security threat management is so important.

It only takes a few minutes to pick up the phone and verify that what was said in the email is true. Fortunately for DDD Construction they made the call, and it saved them $15,000!

Cyber security threat management can be a game changer. Read more about ways you can protect your business with our Akron Cyber Security Services.

Introducing Our New Blog Series.

Welcome to our new blog, PCR Investigates: The CyberCrime Files.

Stay tuned as we investigate true stories of cybersecurity threats and cybercrimes in Akron, OH and throughout our community.

We’ll keep you informed on the latest threats, and prepare you with the knowledge and tools needed to stay one step ahead of cyber criminals.

The Cybercrime Files- Case # 102: The $50,000 Email!

*This is a true account of a local cybercrime. However, the names of the victims and businesses have been changed to protect their identities. To learn more about Cyber Security Services in Akron, OH click here.


INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

OFFENSE: Email Hacking & Wire Fraud

VICTIM:  Property Management Company

LOCATION: Cuyahoga Falls, OH

DATE: 12-21-18

LEAD INVESTIGATOR: Patrick Carroll

NOTES: The moment I arrived on scene both the CEO and CFO of the property management company asked me the same question: “how in the world did this happen to us?” The harsh truth, I told them, is that cyber criminals are getting wiser and more deceitful by the day. As soon as you let your guard down, they’re right there to take advantage.

According to the CFO here’s what went down:

The CFO received and urgent email from the CEO asking that he wire $50,000 immediately into a client’s account. The CEO wrote in the email that he was in a meeting and didn’t have time to wire the money himself.

Not wanting to question his boss or bother him during an important meeting, the CFO made the transfer. Later that day the CFO ran into the CEO and let him know the wire transfer went through. “What wire transfer?,” the CEO asked. Right then the CFO knew he had made a huge mistake.

FINDINGS:

  • Someone hacked into the CEO’s email and monitored his incoming and outgoing email communications.
  • Using the CEO’s email (as well as his style of writing) the hacker emailed the CFO and asked him to wire the money.
  • Because the email was sent from the CEO’s “secure” email, the CFO deemed it to be legit.
  • The CFO wired the money to a bank account provided by the CEO (aka, the hacker).

FORTUNATELY…

Because it was such a large sum of money, the wire transfer had not yet cleared when the CFO realized his mistake. He was able to cancel the transfer and get back the $50,000 before it was gone forever.

LESSONS:

Always be on the lookout for email scams!

If you receive an email from someone you don’t know, or even from someone you do know that looks suspicious, don’t assume anything! Often referred to as phishing scams, hackers will pose as friends, family members, or charitable organizations requesting that you send them emergency funds. They will also use email to upload software into your computer that gives them access to your accounts, passwords, and sensitive data.

In addition, these same emails will often contain ransomware and other programs that can lock you out of your data. The hacker will then ask you to send money to get your own data back! More on this in our next blog post!!!

Read Cybercrime Files #103 to learn about a real life identity theft case >>

Check out this page for some of the latest email scams to look out for.