Wi-Fi devices, including home routers, are vulnerable to hackers because patches are rarely applied and updating software is difficult after release. Well over a year ago, attention was brought to what would be a web security vulnerability of epic proportions, with the receipt of an email by a small software company. The email, sent by a computer security researcher, stated that a flaw in one of the software company’s programs was putting millions of people across the globe at risk of falling victim to being hacked. Allegro Software Development Corp set their engineers to analyze the flaw in the program, which can help users access the controls of home Internet routers. Upon investigating, something very odd became apparent, this particular bug had been fixed 10 years prior. Yet here it was, continuing on in new devices. The reason for this was a component maker had included the outdated 2002 version of the Allegro software with its chipset, and it had yet to be updated. These chips, specifically, are used in the making of more than 10 million devices by router makers. Router makers have responded by stating they weren’t aware the bug had been fixed by later versions of the software. Problems with Computer Security This particular instance shed a great deal of light on an ongoing security problem in computer security: It is difficult to fix bugs after they have been released and often gets overlooked completely. In order for this to be done, the creator must develop the fix, or “patch”. Once this is done, potentially millions of users need to be alerted, and are required to install the patch themselves, regardless of technical ability. This creates vulnerabilities at many points. Patches often are not distributed, and when they are, users fail to install them or are unaware of the patch, meaning hackers are given a weak link to exploit. Routers Specifically The problem Allegro specifically had was that they were unable to apply the patch because they have no access to the effected devices. That being said, all the company can do is urge manufacturing companies to use the latest version of the software, but there is no way to require them to do so. The Wall Street Journal conducted an experiment in an attempt to better understand the problem with routers and commissioned a computer researcher to test 20 well known Internet routers, all purchased within the last six months. It quickly became evident that a problem of great magnitude was upon as, as the following results were revealed: Half arrived with well known, documented security weaknesses, running outdated firmware. 4 in the group were running outdated firmware that had subsequent updates that could potentially contain undocumented security problems. 10 of the 20 tested routers didn’t easily allow for users to check for new software during the initial setup process. Users were required to run optional programs instead, or search the Web. 2 of the routers told users that no software updates were available, when in fact they were. 1 even directed users to download software that had a documented severe security flaw. These findings align nicely with those of another investigation done by a former researcher at Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., who was also responsible for finding the Allegro bug that has been deemed “Misfortune Cookie”. This is because it allows hackers to attack the router using malicious Web cookies. In Internet scans conducted by the researcher in the spring, it was found that almost 80% of the routers that originally contained the Misfortune Cookie were still vulnerable. This was 5 months after device makers made public announcements. The Problem With Router Makers Security is being put on the back burner by router makers. It is the end user, not them, who pays the price for poor security, therefore, the focus is on cutting the price in order to win contracts, not on the device’s security. Several router makers have gone on record saying security is a priority for them, with many having plans to improve how they notify users of new software. Currently these notifications are usually dependent on the user noticing an update on the routers website. In addition many manufacturers also stated that routers are fixed according to how new they are, with routers a couple of years old or older rarely getting fixed. You need a trusted technology partner that specializes in keeping your technology up-to-date with the latest patches. Call {phone} or email us at {email} to find out more about our managed IT services.

Are You Next on Ransomware’s Hit List? Maybe lady luck has been on your side thus far when it comes to evolved CryptoWall 4.0 attacks, but don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Without secure backup solutions, you very well could be next. Ransomware has evolved, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly meticulous, and businesses aren’t keeping up. This just isn’t good business sense; with each new threat evolving and rising, you can be in some serious trouble. CryptoWall 4.0 can infect your systems, and force you to pay a ransom for your own hard earned work. Not all cybercriminals are true to their word though; your ransom could end up getting you nothing but empty pockets in return. CryptoWall 4.0 infiltrates your systems through: Emails, Spam, Phishing, and Spoofing. Your employees need to be made aware of these threats and to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. If something seems out of place or someone has opened something they probably shouldn’t have, immediate attention needs to be drawn in order to save your crucial data. Recovery Steps to Follow: Confiscate & Isolate the System/Workstation Report suspicious activity and perform a hard shut-down to the system immediately, Isolate the system from the network, Test several files to further isolate the date and time of attack. Restore Infected Files Use Safe Mode and scan the computer with it, Restore files to date prior of infection, Backup all files on external devices such as a USB drive or SSD. Ransomware might have a script set in place to automatically delete your files if its own are being removed. Proceed with caution and never try to remove the infection manually. Prevention Tactics Educate your employees, they are often the main target and must be made aware of each threat, Report all suspicious activity immediately, Do not download, click, or open any suspicious links or emails, Update your security as threats arise, Always scan removable devices, Turn on firewall and security settings, Never respond to unknown emails and messages. Backup, Backup, Backup. Always backup your systems and files, every day, on-site and off-site. Backups can be the difference between losing everything and saving everything. What good is a business if it’s not secure? You want everything you’ve ever worked towards to be safe; that’s exactly what we can do for you. How we do it: Discover how the infection infiltrated your networks, Protect your business with additional layers of security, Restore your data and operations, Minimize the risk of attacks happening again. If you say YES to the security and protection your business deserves, and NO to Cybercriminals and their ransom, take our free assessment today. Yes, I want a comprehensive IT security and antivirus protection assessment! You can also contact {company} by phone {phone} or email us at {email} to speak with one of our IT professionals today.

A lot of iPhone users benefit from using their Notes App for more than just a grocery list; but security was a big concern. Apple has fixed this issue to allow you to freely use your app the way you wish. From entering any kind of personal information to banking information, now you won’t have to worry about anyone accessing your private notes. With the new iOS 9.3 upgrade comes many benefits; security being one of the more prominent ones. How to Secure Your Important Information with the Notes App: Select the note you wish to secure with either a password or Touch ID. Tap the share button in the upper right hand corner and select Password Protect Note. You can now enter a password and a password hint. You can also add Touch ID to your note by toggling the switch on or off for an extra layer of security. Each note that is secured will have a lock icon beside it. This functionality is only available in iOS 9.3 and Mac OS X 10.11.4 (beta) devices. You will not be able to access your secured notes unless you have these requirements. In order to set up or change your Notes password, navigate to Settings on your iOS device and select Notes-password protection. To secure future Notes, your password will already be set up and it will simply consist of tapping the Password Protect Note option from the share menu. Contact {company} for more information on how you can protect your personal information using the new iOS 9.3 upgrade. Call {phone} or email us at {email} to learn how we can help better protect your company with our managed IT services.

Avoid The Crippling Damage of Weather Disasters with These 6 Vital Steps We know you’re constantly hearing warnings about cybercrime and the importance of effective IT security – but what about situations that are simply unpreventable? Weather conditions and other natural disasters can seriously disrupt business: whether it’s a severe storm, power outages, burst pipes, snow squalls, or any other number of variables. It’s crucial that your team understands how to react when a disaster hits. Unfortunately, too many businesses work with a “that could never happen to us” attitude, which leaves them unprepared when a disaster hits. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 40% of businesses are forced to close immediately after a disaster and another 25% fail within one year of the occurrence. The major issue is downtime – inability to access your resources means diminished productivity, lost wages, and unhappy clients. So how do you avoid it? Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning The 2011 Business Continuity Planning in Severe Weather report provides guidance as to how your business can effectively account for everything, and ensures that unavoidable disasters don’t cause crippling damage. So what steps should you be taking? Risk Evaluation and Control: First of all, you need to identify which applications and resources are necessary to achieving objectives. What does your workforce rely on to get tasks done? Which components of your operations are absolutely critical to remaining operational? Business Impact Analysis: With that list in mind, it’s time to determine the potential risks to those critical components. Risks include serve weather, floods, power outages, and so on. You should be factoring in specific weather conditions for your area and several other variables that could present risks to your business. Development of Business Continuity Strategies: For every risk you’ve determined, you now need an action plan. You should be working closely with your MSP to establish a plan that will allow you to stay operational under any circumstance. A Backup and Disaster Recovery solution suited to your needs is ideal. Emergency Response Planning: In addition to data recovery, there are other crucial things to consider in order to preserve the safety of your employees and any physical material in the office. Consider which emergency service is best to contact and which files or hardware should be removed first. Crisis Management Planning: Reputation is a huge part of what keeps you successful, so it’s crucial that you have a plan in place to gain control of information before it gets out. You need to plan for internal communications, customer communications, and media communications. Avoiding a PR disaster means one less thing for you to worry about. Business Recovery Planning: Once you’re out of crisis mode, it’s time to evaluate any damage done. Was there any major downtime? How much did it cost? Is there any physical damage in the office? Put a plan in place to start resolving any lingering issues. Don’t let your business become another statistic of livelihood lost due to ineffective planning. Stay one step ahead of the game and ensure that your operations remain strong even in the midst of the most destructive weather disasters. Get in touch with {company} to start discussing the most effective business continuity and disaster recovery strategies. Our team of IT experts are eager to ensure you’ve accounted for everything – contact us at {email} or {phone} to learn more.

Using Professional E-Signature Is An Easy Way To Keep Up Appearances Email signatures can become a perfect marketing tool to help your company drive traffic. Often enough, most people don’t realize this and spend a poor amount of time and effort on theirs. Creating your own e-signature can be easy enough, finding the perfect balance is essential and requires little effort. Here are some tips to help you grab attention and interest with your personal e-signature. Keep it Short and Simple When it comes to your e-signature, less is more. Creating one that is too long can become boring and loses the reader’s attention. Always include the pertinent information you wish for the reader to find. This includes: Company’s name, Sender’s name, Job title, Company URL, and Contact information. These are the essentials the reader needs to know in order to get in contact with you, and it also gives them enough information about you so they know who they are reaching out to. Color Palette Scheme Going along with the “less is more” saying, your color scheme definitely fits into that category. Using multiple loud and bold colors can really throw a person off and diminishes your reputation as a professional. People are attracted to simplified and professionally thought out color schemes. When choosing your color scheme, following the colors of your company’s brand logo can be a perfect choice. If your company’s logo is black, then you have a much wider spectrum to choose from. Include Social Media Links Social media links that are regularly used by your company can drive high traffic. These can be included into your e-signature so the reader can keep in the “know” with what’s going on with your company and also allows them to get more information on what you have to offer. When it comes to using social media links, icons are your best bet. They are more professional and keep your e-signature looking tidy and organized rather than posting the URL’s or hyperlinks. And of course, avoid using your own personal social media links, keep it company-focused. Proper Formatting You’re going to want your e-signature to maintain its look and appeal regardless of which device the reader uses. Try testing your signature out with as many email clients as you can to ensure you’re keeping up the appearance for everyone. Optimizing logos and graphics becomes essential, as sometimes, when a reader is using a mobile device, your e-signature’s appearance can become too small and hard to read or very close together. Ensure your e-signature maintains the professional quality regardless of which screen size it’s being viewed on. Find a Balance Be clean and clear when it comes to your e-signature. Finding the perfect balance between color, font and outlay will allow you to maintain a professional, informative and appealing e-signature. When you have a poorly done e-signature, this can become distracting and hurt your reputation as a professional. Contact {company} at {phone} or email us at {email} to learn more about maintaining a professional appearance when it comes to email. Let’s discuss our managed IT services and the benefits you achieve through a flat-rate monthly fee to handle all of your technology needs.

As a business owner, things can get pretty hectic and sometimes you tend to lose focus on the important things. Having a well-organized system that manages tasks and routines in a clear and concise manner can be a great relief. With these 5 productivity apps at your disposal, you’ll be able to quit worrying about time-management and start focusing back on your business. 30/30: 30/30 allows you to manage your business tasks and lifestyle in a healthy way. With this app, you are able to get work done while still setting time aside to take a breather before getting back to full focus on the task at hand. With 30/30, you assign each task its own time, this helps balance your workload and notify you of how much time you have to complete each task to meet milestones and deadlines. You now have the option to practice a healthy work-cycle, this app reminds you to take breaks; sometimes entrepreneurs get so caught up they forget to practice healthy business sense in order to re-focus themselves. Basecamp: Through Basecamp, you can keep your team up-to-date and on the same page with this centralized solution. Manage tasks, client work, and teamwork all in one without having to worry; this powerful app keeps your company organized with: To-do lists, Milestone and deadline management, File sharing, Time management, Wiki-style web-based text documents, and A messaging system. With Basecamp, you’re able to split up work individually to each employee or group it as a team task. You can frequent regular check-ins to ensure everyone is doing their part and milestones and deadlines are being met. Also, keep your clients happy by including them in on what’s going on through Basecamp, they won’t have the option to see unfinished work or group discussions unless you wish to share it with them. Dropbox: Dropbox is an important app for most companies; it allows you to store company files, photos, documents and videos in one safe place. You have the ability to access your information from anywhere, whether it is through your laptop, phone or tablet, Dropbox makes it easily accessible. Now you can share with others, invite teammates to specific folders in your Dropbox to give them flawless access to the information you want them to see as a convenient solution for team projects. With Dropbox, your information will always be safe; this is crucial to a business in the event of a disaster or system failure. Never worry again knowing all of your hard earned work if safely locked within Dropbox when you need it to be. Mint: Mint is a powerful app that helps you become more successful as a business owner. Using a 128-bit encryption along with physical security, your financial information is always safe and locked away. When you get started with Mint, you have the ability to: Create and maintain budgets, See all of your balances and transactions, Have access to all of your financial information in one convenient place, Add accounts, cards and bills, Track spending patterns and investments. All of your information is automatically updated and categorized in real time. Based on your financial goals; start saving and growing your business with recommendations from Mint. Skype: Skype becomes an essential tool for those business owners who are constantly traveling to meetings or trying to arrange conference calls. Take ease in knowing you can cut costs on traveling expenses and save headaches with trying to get everyone on the same page. With Skype, you can: Transfer files in IM, Join group audio and HD video calling, Schedule meetings in Outlook, Use desktop, application and whiteboard sharing, Record audio and video in real time. Skype helps you get everyone on board and significantly reduces the difficulty of scheduling conflicts. It’s easy and accessible from desktops, smartphones, and tablets. Contact {company} to learn more about how your company can become increasingly productive. Call {phone} or email us at {email} to learn about our managed IT services.  

CryptoWall 4.0 users have discovered that Russian users are spared any encryption after the malware is deployed onto their system. This is because the ransomware checks to determine which keyboard is being used, and when Russian is detected as the language, the ransomware kills itself before encryption. This news comes as no big surprise to anyone, as it has always been known that the attackers were Russian, at least the spam servers, targeting mainly the US and Europe. However, everyone is equally susceptible to encrypting ransomware. The encrypting ransomware may appear slightly different, but in reality, it is the same as the rest. It encrypts your files from a phishing email, holding them ransom for bitcoin payment. The encryption is done using a GPG Tool, which is an open source encryption tool that appends the file extension to “.vault” This variant is based off of the “freebie” structure, allowing 4 free file decrypts. This is intended to let the user know what the decryption routine is like, and to verify that files will be returned upon the ransom being paid. Once the ransom has been paid, the user will have access to download the decryption tool from the portal. Analyzing MD5 The specific variant will be caught by Webroot, in real time, before any encryption is able to take place. Measures are always being taken to find more, but in the case of new zero day variants, it is important to understand that with encryption ransomware, the most dependable protection is a good backup solution, using either the cloud or external storage. It is also critical to keep this backup solution up to date so productivity is not lost. Webroot has built in backup features in the consumer product, allowing directories to be constantly synced to the cloud. Should a zero-day variant infection occur, the user can simply restore any files using a snapshot history. Find out more about the latest variants of malware. Call {company} at {phone} or email us at {email} to learn about our managed IT services. We keep you safe from all types of threats for a flat-rate monthly fee.

Whether you’re traveling for business, to visit family, or for some relaxation – there’s always a looming risk of losing personal belongings. Small items like laptops are especially easy for thieves to target in busy places such as airports, which puts your data and privacy at risk. In fact, in many instances the data on your laptop is more valuable to criminals than the hardware itself. There are a few simple precautions you should take when traveling that will help ensure your laptop and the data within are kept safe. Physical safety is a lot easier to account for than data security. When you’re traveling with a laptop, make sure you know where it is at all times: or better yet, keep it on you with a messenger bag or backpack. If you’re forced to leave your laptop (or any other valuable devices) in a hotel room while at a meeting or conference, put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign to keep staff out of the room. A proactive approach is the only sure way to keep your data secure. Keeping reliable backups allows you peace of mind knowing that even if your laptop is stolen, you’ll maintain access to your essential files and resources. Remember that the basics of device security are there for a reason: complex passwords are crucial to keeping out potential thieves. You should utilize the full power of your security measures, including automatic lock screens and passwords on important or sensitive applications. For more comprehensive data protection, use a trusted VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access the Internet in public places. If you’re using a public domain, log in through your Guest account whenever possible. In addition to all of this, it’s smart to always exercise an extra bit of caution when you’re working away from home or the office. When you’re traveling, the last thing you want to worry about is theft and all of the potential ramifications. Get in touch with {company} for more IT security tips and tricks or to speak with our team about the most effective ways to secure your data. Contact our team of technology experts at {email} or {phone}.

If you think that your small-sized business would not attract hackers, think again. Cybercriminals target businesses – big or small, because of the apparent lack in IT security measures.  Small to medium-sized businesses need to think past the size of their organization and realize that everyone is at risk for cyber-attacks: individuals, government agencies, banks, and businesses. Without the right tools and technology to prevent hackers from stealing your information, you are leaving your business prone to a major data breach. Secure your valuable company data with the most trusted IT security service provider. {company} provides clients with up-to-date protection methods designed to protect your system from the latest, most advanced attacks. Contact us at {phone} or send us an email at {email} to get in touch with an IT security expert. While advanced IT security tools can protect your system from external attacks, majority of the threats are still neutralized by simple office procedures that are often overlooked. Here are 5 simple ways to protect your business: Update your software Never ignore software update notifications. Software updates are not just made to improve the functionality of a certain software; it also serves as a patch for vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. One of the most prolific zero-day exploits came from one of the most well-known software publishers, Adobe – which could have been easily prevented if the users opted to update their software after getting the notification from Adobe. Change your password regularly Keeping track of your passwords can be quite confusing, but that does not excuse you from changing your passwords from time to time. Your password is the easiest way to gain access to your accounts, and it can be easily obtained through social engineering and keyloggers. Ensure that you are always protected by changing your passwords regularly. If you find it difficult to keep track of your passwords, you can opt to use a master password to secure all of your passwords. Update your antivirus Threats to your business are created every day. That’s why antivirus software providers send out updates regularly to keep your system protected from the latest attacks. Allow your antivirus to search for new updates every time you start up your computer. Decommission digital keys When an employee leaves your business, ensure that you have taken every step to decommission the digital keys used by your client to ensure that your business is protected. Digital keys can be used to access valuable data that you cannot afford to lose. Keep track of what an employee has access to and immediately decommission digital keys as soon as an employee leaves your company. Know which emails you should open Just last year, thousands of systems were infected with CryptoWall, a ransomware that encrypts the files on your system, preventing you from accessing your files unless you pay a certain fee. The prevailing delivery method for Cryptowall is spam email attachments, just like many other destructive malware before it. As a rule of thumb, never open email attachments from people who you do not know. In your business, this means educating your staff about the types of email attachments that they should never open to prevent costly malware damages. Protect your business assets starting with your IT infrastructure. {company} provides IT security services to ensure that your business has a sturdy backbone of IT services that you could always rely on. Contact us at {phone} or send us an email at {email} to get in touch with an IT security expert.