Category: For Business

For BusinessGeneral

GoodSync GDPR Compliance Statement

on June 5, 2018

Introduction

In 2016, the EU adopted General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). The GDPR is now recognized as law across the EU. GDPR enforcement begins on 25th May 2018.

Our Commitment

Siber Systems Inc. (‘we’ or ‘us’ or ‘our’) are committed to ensuring the security and protection of the personal information that we process, and to provide a compliant and consistent approach to data protection. We have always had a robust and effective data protection program in place which complies with existing law and abides by the data protection principles. However, we recognize our obligations in continuously updating and expanding this program to keep meet the demands of the GDPR.

Siber Systems Inc. are dedicated to safeguarding the personal information under our remit and in developing a data protection regime that is effective, fit for purpose and demonstrates an understanding of, and appreciation for the new Regulation. Our preparation and details of GDPR compliance have been summarised in this statement and include the development and implementation of data protection roles, policies, procedures, controls and measures to ensure maximum and ongoing compliance.

How We Have Prepared for the GDPR

Siber Systems Inc. has a consistent level of data protection and security across our organization, that fully complies with all DGPR provisions.

Our preparations included:

  • Completed Information Audit – we have identified that we DO NOT store any sensitive personal data as it is defined by GDPR. We only store non-sensitive personal data that is required to conduct business. We have identified what personal information we hold, where it comes from, how and why it is processed and if and to whom it is disclosed, as well as GDPR compliance of downstream data processors.
  • Revised Policies & Procedures – we have revised our data protection policies and procedures to meet the requirements and standards of the GDPR and any relevant data protection laws, including:
    • Data Protection – our main policy and procedure document for data protection has been overhauled to meet the standards and requirements of the GDPR. Accountability and governance measures are in place to ensure that we understand and adequately disseminate and evidence our obligations and responsibilities; with a dedicated focus on privacy by design and the rights of individuals.
    • Data Retention & Erasure – we have updated our retention policy and schedule to ensure that we meet the ‘data minimization’ and ‘storage limitation’ principles and that personal information is stored, archived and destroyed compliantly and ethically. We have procedures in place to meet the ‘Right to Access’ (Article 15), ‘Right to Rectification’ (Article 16), ‘Right to Erasure’ (Article 17) obligation and are aware of when this and other data subject’s rights apply; along with any exemptions, response timeframes and notification responsibilities.
    • Data Breaches – our breach procedures ensure that we have safeguards and measures in place to identify, assess, investigate and report any personal data breach at the earliest possible time. Our procedures are robust and have been disseminated to all employees, making them aware of the reporting lines and steps to follow.
    • International Data Transfers & Third-Party Disclosures – where Siber Systems Inc. collects, transfers and stores on US servers ONLY personal information needed for execution of the contract between the client and the Company. We have robust procedures and safeguarding measures in place to secure, encrypt and maintain the integrity of the data. Our procedures include a continual review of the countries with sufficient adequacy decisions, as well as provisions for binding corporate rules; standard data protection clauses or approved codes of conduct for those countries without. We carry out strict due diligence checks with all recipients of personal data to assess and verify that they have appropriate safeguards in place to protect the information, ensure enforceable data subject rights and have effective legal remedies for data subjects where applicable.
  • Legal Basis for Processing – our processing activities are in compliance with the Article 6.
  • Records of Processing Activities – Siber Systems Inc. is excluded from the obligation to maintain records of our processing activities, under Article 30 due to size and nature of data conditions.
  • Privacy Notice/Policy – our Privacy Policies (separate for each product family) comply with the GDPR.
  • Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) – we neither process sensitive personal information nor perform large-scale processing of non-sensitive personal information. We have developed stringent procedures and assessment templates for carrying out impact assessments that comply fully with the GDPR’s Article 35 requirements. We have implemented documentation processes that record each assessment, allow us to rate the risk posed by the processing activity and implement mitigating measures to reduce the risk posed to the data subject(s).
  • Processor Agreements – where we use any third-party to process personal information on our behalf (i.e. Payment Processing), we have ensured that Processor Agreements and due diligence procedures are in place for ensuring that they (as well as we), meet and understand their/our GDPR obligations. These measures include initial and ongoing reviews of the service provided, the necessity of the processing activity, the technical and organizational measures in place and compliance with the GDPR.
  • Special Categories Data – we have identified that we do not process any of the special categories of the personal data.

Data Subject Rights

In addition to the policies and procedures mentioned above that ensure individuals can enforce their data protection rights, we provide easy to access information via email gdpr@siber.com of an individual’s right to access any personal information that Siber Systems Inc. processes about them and to request information about:

  • What personal data we hold about them
  • The purposes of the processing
  • The categories of personal data concerned
  • The recipients to whom the personal data has/will be disclosed
  • For how long we intend to store your personal data
  • If we did not collect the data directly from them, information about the source
  • The right to have incomplete or inaccurate data about them corrected or completed and the process for requesting this
  • The right to request erasure of personal data (where applicable) or to restrict processing in accordance with data protection laws, as well as to object to any direct marketing from us and to be informed about any automated decision-making that we use
  • The right to lodge a complaint or seek judicial remedy and who to contact in such instances

Information Security & Technical and Organizational Measures

Siber Systems Inc. takes the privacy and security of individuals and their personal information very seriously and takes every reasonable measure and precaution to protect and secure the personal data that we process. We have robust information security policies and procedures in place to protect personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction and have several layers of security measures, including employee training, data encryption in transit, data encryption in storage, password policy, one-time-password and two-factor authentication mechanisms, as well as other technical and organizational prevention, detective, and correction controls.

GDPR Roles and Employees

Siber Systems Inc. have appointed a data privacy team to constantly monitor compliance with the GDPR legislation. The team are responsible for promoting awareness of the GDPR across the organization, assessing our GDPR readiness, identifying any potential gap areas and implementing the new policies, procedures and corrective measures.

Siber Systems Inc. understands that continuous employee awareness and understanding is vital to the continued compliance of the GDPR and have involved our employees in our preparation plans. We have implemented an employee training program specific to the which have been provided to all employees, and forms part of our induction and annual training program.

If you have any questions or requests related to GDPR, please contact our GDPR compliance team via email gdpr@siber.com.

For BusinessGeneral

GoodSync GDPR Compliance Progress Statement

on April 30, 2018

Introduction

In 2016, the EU adopted General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). The GDPR is now recognized as law across the EU. GDPR enforcement begins on 25th May 2018.

Our Commitment

Siber Systems Inc. (‘we’ or ‘us’ or ‘our’) are committed to ensuring the security and protection of the personal information that we process, and to provide a compliant and consistent approach to data protection. We have always had a robust and effective data protection program in place which complies with existing law and abides by the data protection principles. However, we recognize our obligations in updating and expanding both personal and business product lines of our GoodSync product family, related technical services and supporting programs (e.g., payment processing/license management and online technical support portal) to meet the demands of the GDPR.

GDPR Compliance Completion Checklist

We have identified that the only technical item remaining to be implemented for full compliance with GDPR is the gathering of the consent from European users prior to collecting, transferring and storing their data on a server in the United States of America. We are committed to being in full compliance with GDPR by the May 25 deadline.

Information Audit

We have identified that we DO NOT store any sensitive personal data as it is defined by GDPR. We only store the minimum of non-sensitive personal data that is required to conduct business (e.g., perform sufficient authentication within the product or to process a payment).

We have identified what personal information we hold, where it comes from, how and why it is processed and if and to whom it is disclosed, as well as GDPR compliance of downstream data processors.

How We are Preparing for the GDPR

Siber Systems Inc. already have a consistent level of data protection and security across our organization, however it is our aim to be fully compliant with the GDPR by 25th May 2018. Our preparations include but are not limited to:

  • Revising policies & procedures
  • Training employees
  • Revising of privacy polices
  • Obtaining user consent in DGPR-compliance manner
  • Revising direct marketing procedures
  • Performing data protection impact assessments for each of the products and services
  • Obtaining Processor Agreements with downstream processors (e. Payment Processing)
  • Assuring rights of data subjects to obtain a copy of personal data, to correct that data and to request deletion of certain types of data.
  • Introduction of GDPR-specific e-mail contact address: gdpr@siber.com

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about the rights of you or your employees. You can respond to this email or contact us at gdpr@siber.com .

 

 

For Business

Introducing Backblaze B2 Online Storage for GoodSync 10

on August 24, 2017

GoodSync 10 welcomes the addition of Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage. B2 is hailed as an affordable alternative to other cloud storage options, offering easy to use APIs, the ability to upload and download data via Web GUI, API, or CLI., as well as backup, archiving, and synchronization to servers and NAS devices. This is a great way for GoodSync users to store their data online (or “in the cloud”) or for Backblaze B2 users to take advantage of GoodSync’s power and flexibility when syncing files between their desktops, and the cloud.

Note: Only Backblaze for Business can be used with GoodSync.

For step-by-step instructions on how to use B2 in conjunction with GoodSync 10, click here.

As previously mentioned, one of the main benefits of Backblaze is its affordability. Backblaze B2 customer, Vintage Aerial, conducted a projected 5-year cost savings analysis for storing 80 TB of photos. They concluded B2 was a cost effective replacement of on-premise storage as well as an inexpensive alternative to AWS.

backblaze1

B2 is $0.005/GB per month for data storage and $0.02/GB to download data. The first 10GB of storage is free, as is the first 1 GB of downloads per day.  Additional B2 Cloud Storage pricing can be found here.

 

Data BackupFor BusinessGeneral

The 411 on Ransomware

on July 17, 2017

In light of last month’s cyberattack that originated in and quickly spread ransomware across several countries including the United States, you may be wondering – what exactly is ransomware, what’s the likelihood you’ll be affected, and how can it be prevented?

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is an increasingly popular form of malicious cryptography that infiltrates computer systems, encrypts as much data as possible, and keeps it as a hostage until the victim pays the demanded ransom for the decryption password. The ransom is most often demanded in the form of a digital currency known as “Bitcoin.”

How does it spread?

The attack typically manifests through email phishing campaigns. Once the victim clicks on the link or opens the attachment, the computer becomes infected, encrypting or “locking” the victim out of their files. According to Malwarebytes, roughly 60% of malware payloads in Q1 2017 were ransomware. Other forms of ransomware, however, can travel between computers without user interaction. The “WannaCry” attack being a prime example.

NotPetya, the name given to the ransomware strain first detected in Ukraine, affected computers by using vulnerabilities in the NSA hacking tool known as EternalBlue. By entering Windows-operated machines with unpatched security, the malicious software stole passwords in an attempt to gain administrator access over the entire network. Forced updates then led to mass infection and the encryption of hard drives. It’s worthwhile to note, however, that researchers and academics are now saying the attack was most likely engineered to damage IT systems rather than extort funds.

Who does it affect?

Ransomware affects individuals, as well as companies and organizations – big and small. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, they predict the cost of ransomware damage this year to exceed $5 billion, up from $325 million in 2015.

Since the majority of ransomware occurs through phishing email attacks, perpetrators count on three things:

  1. Action – you’ll click on the link or download the attachment (either out of curiosity or unintentionally). One wrong click is all it takes
  2. Poor cyber hygiene – lack of measures including email authentication, intrusion prevention software, and web browser protection.
  3. Lack of backups – failure to regularly and routinely backup data, especially business-critical data or highly sensitive personal/customer oriented data.

What can I do?

  1. Backup, backup, backup. Ensure you don’t lose valuable data (and potentially customers) by having to choose between satisfying the demands of your attackers or losing your data forever…or in some cases – both. You can back up critical data using a service such as GoodSync Connect File Transfer Protocol (GSTP) which allows for your backup to go over an encrypted secure channel that ransomware attacks cannot infect, ensuring your backups are secure from even the most advanced ransomware of today. Remember to make sure your mission-critical data is always backed up outside of the ransomware proven infection range. Do not rely on the system security to prevent these attacks; we all seen those fail time and time again. Modern data backup strategy must be flexible enough to mitigate all risks listed below. Such a strategy must include multiple copies of mission-critical data made on geographically dispersed storage mediums, as well as a variety of automation options to match the specifics of each given destination. Below is a table which summarizes suggested backup strategies based on the most likely causes of data loss in today’s dynamic environment.GS_ransomware
  2. Establish a business continuity plan in an effort to successfully recognize, advert, and minimize risks.
  3. Ensure your security software is up-to-date. Click here to see PC Magazine’s top 2017 recommendations.
  4. Educate yourself, your employees, and your colleagues on safe online practices. With the increase of BYOD work environments, it’s important to mitigate risk through clear policies and protocols, particularly when it comes to the creation and use of passwords. Password Managers such as RoboForm help remove the burden and greatly increase security for both individuals and businesses.

Regardless of motive, ransomware is a real and active threat and it does not discriminate. As 2017 progresses, ransomware will undoubtedly evolve, presenting new variants and tactics.  Whether as an individual, business, or organization, ensure you’re taking the proper precautions, removing the incentive for cybercriminals and mitigating losses. And remember, GoodSync allows businesses to completely customize a backup strategy for each given environment by combining the world’s most advanced data backup options with the variety of backup destinations in an easy to use interface. By combining multiple data backup destination options with flexible automation modes, GoodSync can mitigate the entire spectrum of data loss threats, including ransomware.

 

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