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21 Oct 2023 — 4 min read

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U.S. Inflation and Interest Rates:

Since March 2022, the Federal Reserve (Fed) has been proactive in addressing the inflation surge, which had peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. The current Effective Federal Funds Rate is 5.33%. Jerome Powell, the Fed Chair, recently indicated that there might not be a rate hike in November.
He acknowledged the strides made in containing inflation and stressed a continued cautious approach. As of now, the current inflation rate stands at 3.7% for the 12 months ending in September 2023. Amidst global economic uncertainties, the Fed's responsive actions have been pivotal in steering the U.S. economy to reduced inflationary pressures.

CISA Cyber Guidance:

The US cybersecurity agency, CISA, collaborated with the NSA, FBI, and MS-ISAC to release a guide on common phishing methods and how to counteract them. You can find this comprehensive guide on the official CISA website. Phishing involves tricking people into revealing personal information by posing as trusted sources. Attackers often pretend to be familiar figures, like managers or IT staff, to get login details.
They're also using texts, chat platforms, and even fake caller IDs to deceive victims. The guide suggests using robust multi-factor authentication to combat these threats. Phishing can also involve sending harmful attachments or links that damage systems. To stay safe, organizations should educate staff, bolster email defenses, restrict access rights, and use software built with security in mind.
The guide is tailored for all businesses but has a section for smaller firms with fewer resources. For robust defense against these threats, many businesses turn to cybersecurity software like Microsoft Defender and CrowdStrike Falcon. These tools offer advanced cybersecurity capabilities needed to secure networks for smaller companies and large corporations.

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