As we wrap up National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) we're also welcoming Halloween! This is the time of the year that the fictional monsters come out to play, but what about the monsters hiding behind a keyboard all year long? That's right, cyber criminals are the monsters who are out and about 365 days per year, disturbing the peace and unleashing chaos on end users. Here are our 7 cyber attack facts you should know:

Last week on Tech Talk on The Big 550 KTRS our IT expert, Rion Kolosieke, joined the show to talk about having a disaster recovery plan and how to securely store your documents. Guy Phillips was in good humor and talking about technology jokes too. It's almost Halloween and keeping up with some of our St. Louis roots, we just wanted to leave you with a technology joke before we dive into our segment from last week. What do you call having your grandma on speed dial? Instagram! That's the last of the corny jokes, we promise. Data backup and disaster recovery, however, isn't something to joke about.

Grandma just sent you an email with a few attachments. You know Grandma isn't super tech-savvy, and you can't think of a reason why she would be sending you an email, it's probably best if you call before you click. Our IT expert, Randy Moore, joined the group over at The Big 550 KTRS for Tech Talk to share some advice on what to do before you click on risky emails. As part of our goal to educate end users for National Cyber Security Awareness Month, email security was a hot topic that affects millions of online users daily.

To pay or not to pay, that is the end-user's question. When the situation calls for whether someone should pay up in a ransomware attack, our IT expert, Jeff Groby suggests not. People who decide to pay the ransom can actually end up doing more harm than good. You are putting a big target on your back when you pay up by letting the cyber criminals know you're willing to pay. We joined the crew over at The Big 550 KTRS for Tech Talk to chat about polymorphic ransomware in theme with our topic for National Cyber Security Awareness Month!

Adding smart technologies to your home has increasingly grown in popularity in recent years, and so have the mounting security-related issues that follow. Whether you use a home monitoring system, a smart thermostat, high-tech baby monitors, or something else, the need to secure your technology is crucial. Our IT expert, Jeff Groby, joined the crew at The Big 550 KTRS to talk about smart home security for Tech Talk on the Guy Phillips Show last week. This technology can make life easier, but it's only as good as the security you have set up around it.

In 2004, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) to educate Americans about online security. NCSAM is observed each October and is an active effort to educate end users about the different areas of cyber security including safety at home, work, and overall best practices. Online security isn't the job of just one person, it's a collective effort for each person that uses the internet. The SumnerOne's Solutions Team has worked together to create a great month's worth of tips and education to spread awareness.

Last Friday on our weekly Tech Talk segment on The Big 550 KTRS our IT expert, Jeff Groby, joined the show to talk about two-factor authentication. Guy Phillips started the show out with a bang, by letting the listeners know that his PayPal account had recently been compromised. Luckily, Guy was notified and was able to take action before the criminal got away with a few hundred dollars worth of technology! Securing your accounts is something that we always talk about on Tech Talk. Guy's negative experience is just another reminder of why it's so important. One great way to secure your accounts is through using two-factor authentication, Jeff came geared up and ready to talk about the added level of security.