Critical Infrastructure: The Fragile Heartbeat of Western Modernity
Our critical infrastructure, including electricity and water systems, is increasingly vulnerable to both physical and cyber threats. Despite being prioritized for cost-efficiency, these systems lack robust security. The rush towards remote management further exposes them. The critical infrastructure underpinning modern [...]
Which Ransomware Groups Should We Watch For in 2024?
3 Most Active Ransomware Groups in 2023 The three most active ransomware gangs in 2023 were LockBit 3.0, Alphv, and Cl0p. While these three were the primary contributors to the sharp increase in ransomware attacks in 2023, a significant [...]
LockBit Attacks Major Taiwanese Semiconductor, Foxsemicon
In recent news, FoxSemicon has fallen victim to a cyber attack where the LockBit ransomware gang seized control of their website and left behind a message that read “If you don’t pay the ransom, the data will be published on [...]
Water Companies Attacked by Ransomware: Global Critical Infrastructure at Risk
The Genesis of Water The conflicts over water in civilized society have been with us humans since 2550 BC when the Lagash-Umma Dispute, also known as the Gudea War occurred. It was a long-standing conflict between the Sumerian city-states [...]
What is the “Black Basta Buster?”
The New Black Basta Decryptor In November of 2022, scientists from SRLabs developed a decryptor that takes advantage of a vulnerability in Black Basta ransomware. This new development allowed victims to retrieve their files at no cost. Black Basta [...]
Alvaka is Named a 2023 Top Workplace for 3rd Year in a Row
Orange County Register Names Alvaka a Winner of the Orange County Top Workplaces 2023 Award Irvine, California January 01, 2024 – For the third consecutive year, Alvaka has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2023 honor by The Orange County Register Top [...]
Smoke testing is a term used to describe the testing process for servers after patches are applied. 
Estimating an average time for patching servers and PCs can be a bit tricky. It can vary from one month to the next, depending upon the number and complexity of the patches released by your software vendors. You must consider all versions of operating systems and have a complete inventory of all your application software to do this job correctly. Our experience has shown that manual patching of systems takes on average of about 1.5 hours each.
This is a basic cost calculator for you to compute your typical monthly cost for patching your servers, PCs, laptops, tablets and associated application software. It also forms the basis for you to begin calculating your Return on Investment for software patching, or for comparison with alternatives to the manual process of patching operating systems and application software—such as Patch Management as a Service, also known as Vulnerability Management as a Service.
