MEDFIELD and BOSTON: Konrad Martin, CEO of Tech Advisors, was on familiar turf recently when he was invited to address a group of more than 55 members of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs on cyber crimes and the importance of cybersecurity protection for every business.

Martin is CEO of Tech Advisors (www.tech-adv.com), a leading cybersecurity company providing solutions for small to mid-sized businesses in the CPA field as well as other industries. He is a former CPA himself; he has been active in the MSCPA and his firm wrote the original WISP (Written Information Security Plan) for the organization.

Martin’s presentation focused on the importance of having the latest cybersecurity solutions in every business and organization. “As someone whose IT firm works with a number of CPA firms, I know that all of you get many questions from your clients on the topic of cybersecurity, since you are among the most trusted advisors that any business owner has,” he said. “For your own firms, plus the clients you serve, being certain that your infrastructure is protected is critical.”

Martin cited the recent high-profile cyber hacks at the Massachusetts Steamship Authority, Colonial Pipeline, beef supplier JBS (which reportedly paid $11 million in ransom to get its data back), and T Mobil. “Those are the ones that make the headlines,” he said, adding “There are many more that go on every day that we don’t hear about. And we all have the obligation to make certain that our clients are protected from this growing threat.”

“Today,” he said, “cybersecurity is about more than just having the right anti-virus and anti-malware software. That’s important, but increasingly the standards that a business needs to adhere to even to get insurance protection are much higher.”

He said that hackers are far more sophisticated than the early days in that the virus payload does not always deploy immediately, making it more difficult to detect. “With Colonial, for example, the virus traveled around the network for three months before delivering its payload. The virus gains a foothold.”

He added, “This is a $6 trillion a year business. And the weakest part of a network is still the employees, or the users. The biggest point of entry is getting into a system via human error. That is why insurance companies want to know if a company provides employee training.”

Martin urged the CPAs in attendance to implement training programs for employees, be vigilant about changing passwords frequently, and work with a knowledgeable cybersecurity firm for infrastructure protection.

“It was great to have the chance to present before this group,” he said afterwards. “CPAs safeguard much confidential information on behalf of their clients which requires the highest level of protection, and they have the opportunity to advise clients on best business practices. I hope that this provided some good food for thought in terms of the importance of cybersecurity protection.”