My DEF CON Experience: Seeing Security Through New Eyes

How often do we get the chance to go behind enemy lines and see how the other side works? Coopsys Security Technician Vitor Brandao did just that, attending DEF CON 32 this past August in Las Vegas.  DEF CON is perhaps the most well-known hacker conference in existence. Debuting in 1993, the iconic event has…

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Understanding Automotive Retail’s Unique Regulatory Environment

Importance of Regulatory Compliance in Automotive Retail As automotive dealerships increasingly handle sensitive financial and personal information, they fall under related scrutiny. The two regulatory and compliance standards dealerships fall under include the Federal Trade Commission’s Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information (FTC Safeguards Rule) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS). Impact of FTC…

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Addressing Automotive Retail’s Unique Business Continuity Planning Needs

The Need for a Business Continuity Plan in Automotive Retail As the recent CDK incident highlighted, disruptions can halt an entire automotive operation. System failures and cyberattacks are unfortunate realities: therefore, having a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is essential for protecting dealerships from these risks across all areas of the business and ensuring that…

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Lessons from the CrowdStrike Outage: Why the Case for Local Cloud Hosting is Stronger Than Ever

More than ever before, businesses are relying on cloud services for data storage, security, and IT infrastructure management. The recent CrowdStrike outage has highlighted some critical vulnerabilities associated with large public cloud providers. This event underscores the importance of considering local cloud hosting services like those offered by Cooperative Systems. Here’s why choosing a local…

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May 2nd is World Password Day—is yours secure?

Our reliance on passwords to access online accounts and safeguard sensitive information has never been greater. Yet, despite their crucial role in cybersecurity, weak passwords remain a huge vulnerability, leaving individuals and organizations at risk of data breaches and identity theft. The Threat of Weak Passwords Did you know that weak passwords are one of…

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