Alert: Top Four Threats Attacking Your Network
There are many threats that could be attacking your network. Here are just a few that most clients have happen to them.
Overconfidence
User overconfidence in security products is the top threat to your network.
Failure to “practice safe software” results in nuisance attacks like porn storms (unstoppable rapid fire pornographic pop-ups) and more subtle key loggers that steal passwords.
Surveys promising free stuff result in theft of information like your mother’s maiden name, high school, etc. which can be used to answer common security questions.
To avoid theft of otherwise secure data, think before you click.
Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites like Facebook are exploding in popularity. Threats range from malware (eg. viruses, worms, spyware) to scammers trying to steal your identity, information and money. Many businesses and government agencies are using these sites to communicate with clients and constituents, so simply blocking access is no longer reasonable; defending your company while allowing employee access requires social network education for your employees and the enforcement of strong acceptable use policies.
We can help you develop a policy, then monitor compliance using a Unified Threat Management device that controls and reports on network access.
Attacks On Mobile Devices
Everyone is going mobile these days, not just the “road warriors.”
Once limited to laptop computers, mobile network devices now include PDAs, handheld computers and smart phones, with new appliances appearing in the stores every month. Mobile devices often contain sensitive data yet they are easily lost or stolen.
Be sure to password protect and encrypt data on all mobile devices whenever possible. Include mobile devices in your acceptable use policy.
Cloud Computing
“The Cloud,” in its simplest form, involves using the Internet to access and store your data.
It’s actually thousands of servers all working together to provide computing power. When you access e-mail using a web browser, you are working in “the cloud.” Using the cloud for automated off-site backup is rapidly gaining popularity, but that’s just the beginning.
Companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Google envision the day when we will use inexpensive terminals instead of computers to run programs and access data located somewhere on the Internet.
You need to be sure that any data you store and access across the Internet is secure not just where it is stored, but during the trip to and from the Internet.
Pay close attention to this top threats and it will help with network security.
Top 5 Ways to “Break” Your Computer
Here are the top five most common ways to “break” your computer. The reason break is in quotations is because no matter what happens to your computer we can almost always fix it…it just doesn’t make sense sometimes from a financial stand point to do so.
My computer won’t turn on
This very common situation and can be caused by many different things.
One common cause, however, that IS preventable is the computer overheating.
The first step to preventing this issue is to put the computer on an elevated surface instead of the floor if you have the space to do so.
The reason you want to do this is normal everyday foot traffic around or near the computer kicks up a lot of dust and debris that can coat the insides of a computer and cause the processor to not be cooled properly.
The other step you want to take to prevent this issue is to take a can of air and blow out the computer on occasion.
We do NOT recommend opening the case and doing the interior yourself as it is possible to cause damage to components.
My computer is running really slow
Yet again another common scenario we hear almost every day.
Unfortunately, there is no way to completely avoid this, but there are some ways to slow it down.
As your operating system installation ages, and depending on how much it is used, the operating system, and software files in it can become damaged or corrupt, which slows your computer down.
The best way to combat this issue is to make sure that your uninstalling unused programs through the control panel, and simply keeping unused junk files clean off of your computer.
The more you keep your computer and OS the way it was when you purchased it the better it will run.
This can also happen if you shut your computer down improperly. Always go through the Start Menu/ Shutdown process when powering off your computer.
Constant popups are interrupting me and making my PC slow
Almost always, this very common issue is caused by a virus or spyware on your computer.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any fool-proof methods of preventing a virus or malware attack.
The best thing you can do to help prevent an infection is to have antivirus software installed on your PC, but keep in mind, even this does not guarantee you will not get a virus/ malware infection.
The other step to help prevent this is to only go to websites that are considered to be “safe,” meaning they are legitimate websites that its owners would not be trying to gain access to your PC or have any reason to infect your computer.
The most common place for users to get viruses and malware is from browsing the web for free items such as software, movies, music, etc. or even from emails.
Unfortunately, if you do end up being infected by a virus, they’re very difficult to completely remove.
The process used to properly remove a virus is complex and if not done properly can damage your computers operating system and/or cause data loss.
That being said even if you bring the computer in it is possible for a virus to attach itself to a file and damage it permanently so even we may not be able to recover all of your files in the event of a very bad infection.
In most cases we are able to remove all viruses/malware from a system and the user not even notice that they ever had one. There are times, though, where the virus does irreversible damage.
My computer can’t get online
This is another common issue, and is most often caused by the above issue - viruses or spyware on the computer.
Viruses, spyware and malware have all kinds of different effects on the computer. When that is not the cause there are several other issues that may come into play.
As long as other computers at your home/business are able to get online the issue is more than likely due to a setting on your computer itself.
The most common instance I can think of with laptops is the user accidentally switches the WiFi switch to the off position (and doesn’t realize the laptop even had a WiFi switch).
In a desktop, however, as long as the connection issue has not been caused by failing hardware, it is usually caused by a setting changed within the computer.
Connection issues encompass a number of possible settings on the computer, so it’s hard to give you all the information to properly troubleshoot this issue in a small newsletter article.
When it comes to connection issues your best bet is to give us a call and let us diagnose the issue for you.
We troubleshoot many connectivity issues here in the shop as well as onsite. So, no matter where your problem lies, we can get you back online.
Windows told me I had some updates so I installed them. Now my computer won’t boot
Windows updates are almost always important, but they can also be complex in how they interact with your operating system and installed software.
Unfortunately, since most of the updates address serious security risks they must be installed.
The best practice regarding updates is to review them immediately, and perhaps even download them to the machine, but wait a few days in case there are issues with the updates.
If Microsoft finds that there are issues with a patch, even though they do test them to begin with, they will pull the update off of Windows updates until the issue is resolved.
This will help prevent you from getting an update that can cause a problem.
Hardware driver updates are by far the most common type of update that “breaks” the computer.
We generally don’t recommend downloading them unless you are having a problem with your current driver, or there’s a serious security issue with the current driver.
With hardware sometimes it’s better to go with the “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broke” sentiment. If you do mistakenly update and then are unable to get into Windows, bring your computer in and we can get the issue corrected!
These are a few of the common issues that we see every week. Hopefully this short list can help keep your system running smoothly, and help you solve basic issues.
Featured Article Written By: Frank Wright
Fall In Love With Your Computer All Over Again!
“This computer is driving me crazy!” Have you ever shouted at your computer because it froze up, crashed, and caused you to lose work? Have you ever whacked it with your hand, kicked it, or smashed the keyboard out of frustration?
If so, you’re not alone. Problems with a computer, cell phone or other gadget can be so frustrating that it has been called “computer rage” by some psychologists, and it’s on the rise.
How Violent Do They Get With Their Computer?
According to a recent poll, three quarters of computer users have admitted to shouting, swearing, or committing acts of violence towards their computer (we think the number is much higher).
While some simply curse the darn thing, others have admitted to hitting it throwing it across the room.
One computer user was quoted saying, “You feel so helpless. All you can do is sit there and watch the stupid thing freeze up and there’s nothing you can do about it. Errors may only cause a few minutes delay, but it feels like a lifetime when you
need to get things done.”
Deadlines are missed, work is lost, customers angered - all because of computer trouble.
And the vast majority claim that problems like this happen on a consistent basis.
It’s Not Just The Computer Causing Stress
Technical problems are only the start of most peoples’ anxiety. Many report that they are further angered by the time and process it takes to get the problem fixed, and some employees claim computer problems are their number one source of at-work anxiety and stress.
IT related problems further compound employee dissatisfaction since it often forces them to work late or take work home. If you are an employer, take note:
Your unstable computer network could be elevating your employees’ anxiety and job dissatisfaction levels, not to mention interfering with their productivity.
How To End “Computer Rage” And Fall In Love With Your Computer All Over Again
Thanks to our Super Value System Checkup, we have helped dozens of clients end “computer rage” at their company and with their home computers.
Our comprehensive, 27 point problem prevention tune-up lets our technicians dive deep into your system and check for hidden problems, viruses, spyware and system-slowing hardware problems.
This isn’t just a simple look at your system! We use special software tools and our own, proprietary methods to check things other computer companies just don’t know how to check!
You’ll get a written report detailing what we found, and our professional recommendations for any updates you need to bring your system back up to speed.
Sign Up Today And Get Priority Access and Pricing
Since it’s Valentine’s Day, we want to “show you the love” by offering you this Super Value System Checkup for only $69.
We’ll get your system running so nicely, you’re guaranteed to fall back in love with your computer again. Plus, we’ll give you priority scheduling in our shop - no point in making you wait to feel the love!
If you have a business with 5 or more computers, we’ve got an even more LOVEly offer for you! We’ll send our Microsoft Certifi ed technician to your office, saving you the hassle of bringing your computers to our shop.
We’ll do the same 27 point problem prevention tuneup, and check your network for trouble at the same time.
You’ll need to hurry, though - this offer is only valid during the months of February and March, and limited to the first 25 people who call.
To Find Out More call 734-457-5000 Or, Visit Us Online: www.LoveYourComputerAgain.com
Avoiding Common Email Security Threats
Corey Bogedain is a network technician and web developer with Tech Experts. |
Most companies today rely heavily on the use of email. Emailing is a very fast and cost effective form of communication for many different types of businesses.
Most companies use it as their main source of communication between employees. In fact, most employers do not realize the risk of using email.
Some risks range from viruses, hackers, to someone else just trying to gain a little information.
Here’s an overview of the most common email security threats in today’s Internet world.
Viruses
Viruses cause billions of dollars in damage to businesses every year.
Many corporate email systems are still quite vulnerable to viruses. In fact, in last year alone, an estimated 63 distinct email virus attacks hit the United States. These attacks come quickly and can spread quickly.
They mainly cause slowdowns across the internet. However some have been known to take down major corporation’s entire email systems.
Today’s viruses are very complex and often appear to be harmless such as personal notes, jokes, or promotions. While most viruses require recipients to download attachments in order to initiate infection and spread, some are designed to launch automatically with absolutely no user action required.
Spam
Studies have shown that 20 percent of corporate email is spam. A company that has a thousand employees could receive over two billion spam emails in a full year.
Most do not realize it until a lack of productivity ends up costing the companies billions of dollars each year.
While most spam is just annoying, some of it can be very dangerous. Most trick employees into opening malicious emails to spread faster. Also, many hackers have begun disguising viruses as spam.
Phishing
Phishing is used to trick a person into thinking the email is legit and came from a real website, usually asking the person to verify their password or to change some sort of account information.
Then, taking them to a fake website and stealing what you have typed in. This is the number one way people get their identity and personal information stolen.
Spyware
The main purpose of spyware is to install itself on the victim’s computer. It monitors all key strokes and mouse clicks so that they can later go back and collect usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and bank account numbers.
These infections can stay installed on computers for many months without an antivirus picking them up. Most are detected and removed instantly if the user keeps their antivirus up to date.
Having a great antivirus that scans files as well as emails can help prevent virus attacks, phishing and spyware.
Users should also have an up to date spam filter that prevents the infection from getting to your inbox to begin with. And most importantly never open an email attachment you didn’t specifically request.
Also, pay attention to links inside emails that appear legitimate. Many times, phishers will send you an email that looks like it came from an official source. After clicking the links, you’re redirected to a site on the hacker’s network. This is often used to collect personal information and passwords.
What is a Trojan Virus and How Does It Affect You?
Will Alston is a PC hardware technician with Tech Experts. |
We have all experienced the unfortunate virus infection on our computer; it’s not fun and most times it causes down time on the computer, cost to have it fixed, loss of data, and possible identity theft.
A trojan horse or trojan is a program that presents itself as one thing (anti-virus or a game) butactually works in the background to gain unauthorized access to information in a computer.
A trojan virus can steal all sorts of information on your computer such as credit card information, passwords, bank information and then sends the information to the virus creators who can use this information for malicious gains and identity theft.
When you are infected with a trojan infection you will also notice a substantial difference in the speed of your computer and you may even experience several pop-ups related to adult content, casinos, etc.
Don’t click on any of those pop-ups as those will only make the infection harder to remove.
The trojan infection can spread from one PC to another very quickly from e-mails and attachments sent from the infected computer.
It can even corrupt data on a hard drive which will lead to system crashes and deletions of computer files.
Trojan Win32
One of the most dangerous of all trojans is the Trojan.Win32, which is also referred to as the Win32 Trojan. This dangerous infection masquerades on your computer asa legal program, hides from the user and allows remote third parties to take partial or full control of your computer and can record keystrokes.
It can also alter the security settings of your computer to allow more malware to be delivered and installed onto the computer.
How Does it Get Into My Computer?
We have clients ask all the time, “How did my computer get infected?” Most times these infections come from freeware applications that they downloaded, free online games that were downloaded, anti-virus not being updated, firewall settings, computer security settings set too lenient, or from not performing regular updates on the operating system.
The trojan infection wraps itself inside legitimate software such as games, videos, virus and spyware programs, or any commonly downloaded file. In the end, the user ends up with a malicious piece of software that does something entirely different than what it was supposed to do.
Now that you have a general idea of what a trojan is and the most common ways that they get into your computer, what do you do if you are infected?
The first thing that you should do once you notice the infection is to shut down the computer and do not use it for anything.
If you have never dealt with virus removals before then you’ll probably want to work with a professional IT company to do the virus removal, since if not done correctly, the removal process can cause more damage than the trojan.
If you do need to get on the computer to pull some files off, disconnect it from the Internet. That way, no personal information can be sent out from thecomputer such as your credit card or banking information.
Then, you’ll want to work with your IT provider to have a virus clean-up done on the computer. The goal is to get you back online and using your computer safely.
At Technology Experts, we work with clients on virus infections on a day to day basis. Our technicians have several tools and processes to remove virus infections without damaging your system or data.
QuickTime Video Software Target Of Hacker Attack
Corey Bogedain is a network technician and web developer with Tech Experts. |
We all remember that it was not too long ago when Microsoft had left a huge hole for attackers to exploit in Windows XP. Microsoft corrected the error by releasing a new security update and including it as an important update in the Windows Update service.
Now for the third time, attackers have found a new vulnerability in Windows. This attack only affects Windows XP, Windows 2003 server and Windows 2000. Windows Vista, Server 2008 and surprisingly Windows 7 aren’t affected.
Microsoft has already discovered that the attackers are using the code on many different video websites. The attack starts with a QuickTime video and exploits a problem in the Direct X software that Windows uses in almost everything you do, from watching videos to playing video games.
The hackers are using the code in QuickTime files which is the default video for Apple, but not in Windows. You most likely have QuickTime installed on your PC if you have an iPhone or iPod.
The malicious code is hidden inside video files, and allows the attacker to execute any kind of program he would like on the victim’s personal computer. Then, depending on what the attacker planned to do, they could take over your computer or make all your data disappear.
In order to get infected, you’d have to open an infected QuickTime file. Opening the file allows the hacker to have control of your computer. This virus code could be sent by an attachment in email or posted on any website. You’d just have to click and download the file in order to infect your computer.
According to the developers of QuickTime, QuickTime is not the flawed code, but rather, the code inside Windows that displays the QuickTime movie using Direct X is to blame.
The reason the newer operating systems are not vulnerable to these attacks is that the code was removed when Microsoft began development of Windows Vista.
Microsoft has already released two fixes for this security vulnerability. One is pretty technical and requires the user to edit the system registry. The second is a tool that Microsoft has built to automatically disable this feature.
Microsoft hasn’t released a patch, but said that once they do, users that used the automated tool will automatically have the parser turned back on.
Top Four Threats Attacking Your Network And What You Can Do About Them
Corey Bogedain is a network technician and web developer with Tech Experts. |
Do you ever feel like your computer network could be more secure? Chances are, keeping a few simple things in mind will improve security and reduce downtime. Here are some things to look out for.
Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites like Facebook are exploding in popularity. Threats range from malware (e.g. viruses, worms,spyware) to scammers trying to steal your identity, information and money. Many businesses and government agencies are
using these sites to communicate with clients and constituents, so simply blocking access is no longer reasonable. Defending your company while allowing employee access requires social network education for your employees and the enforcement of strong acceptable use policies. We can help you develop a policy, then monitor compliance using a Unified Threat Management device that controls and reports on network
access.
Attacks On Mobile Devices
Everyone is going mobile these days not just the “road warriors.” Once limited to laptop computers, mobile network devices now include PDAs, handheld computers and smart phones, with new appliances appearing in the stores every month. Mobile devices often contain sensitive data yet they are easily lost or stolen. Be sure to password protect and encrypt data on all mobile devices whenever possible. Include mobile devices in your acceptable use policy.
Cloud Computing
“The Cloud,” in its most simple form, involves using the Internet to access and store your data. When you access email using a web browser, you are working in “the cloud.” Using the cloud for automated off site backup is rapidly gaining popularity and is just the beginning. Companies like Microsoft, IBM and Google envision the day when we will use inexpensive terminals instead of computers to run programs and access data located somewhere on the Internet. You need to be sure that any data you store and access across the Internet is secure not just where it is stored, but during the trip to and from the Internet.
Overconfidence
User overconfidence in security products is the top threat to your network. Failure to “practice safe software” results in nuisance attacks like porn storms (unstoppable rapid fire pornographic pop-ups) and more subtle key loggers that steal passwords. Surveys promising free stuff, result in theft of information like your mother’s maiden name, high school, etc. used to answer common security questions leading to theft of otherwise secure data. Think before you click!
Conficker And Other IT Security Issues Got You Worried? Here Are Some Tips To Keep You Out of Trouble!
Robert Saylors is a senior network technician and hardware specialist with Tech Experts. |
If you watch television or read the news on the web, you no doubt heard about the April fool’s virus, also known as the conficker worm. I have been asked by numerous people “What about Conficker?” This worm is designed to have all the compromised computers “phone home” at a certain time and launch a denial of service, or DoS, attack on an unsuspecting website.
A DoS attack is an attempt to make a computer resource unavailable to its intended users. It generally consists of the concerted efforts of a person or persons to prevent an Internet site or service from functioning efficiently or at all, temporarily or indefinitely.
One common method of attack involves saturating the target machine with external communications requests, so that it cannot respond to legitimate traffic, or responds so slowly as to be rendered effectively unavailable. That was the goal of the Conficker worm - to make sites unavailable on the Internet.
So, what should you do to prevent this from happening to you? Here are a few simple rules to follow to protect your system from these worms.
Disable the autorun feature
Although this is a nice feature to have cds auto start, this risk is not worth the few extra seconds it takes to launch a cd on your own.
Update your protection
Do not just rely on the automatic update features of your virus and malware protection software. It is smart to visit these update centers and make sure you have the latest software, particularly when you’re doing a lot of sensitive work on your computer.
Check your Windows updates
It should go without saying that in addition to your virus definitions, you should regularly check windows updates and do not rely on the automatic update feature. In the case of the Conficker C worm, Microsoft has had this patch available since October of last year. Still, as you heard on the news, thousands of computers still got infected.
Get a second opinion
Have a trained, certified technician review your computer to determine if you have the latest updates and security patches in place, along with removing any malware infections you might already have.
Back up your data
I can’t stress enough the importance of maintaining a backup schedule. All your important data needs to be protected. And, you should always take a copy of this critical data off site, so that if a natural disaster strikes, you have an undamaged copy of your data available.
You never know when tragedy will strike, or some brand new virus or worm will attack your system before anti-virus software can be updated.
Contact Tech Experts and we can help you select the perfect backup solution for your office.
We’ve seen our fair share of worms and viruses come and go, and have an arsenal of tools and years of experience to keep your systems in top condition.
If you currently have a server and you have not been taking advantage of the Tech Experts server monitoring and maintenance plans, I would urge you to contact us as soon as possible to discuss the various options for your firm.
Technicians are always available to review your current network configuration and give you expert advice on security.
If you perform these few simple things I’ve listed above, you will be protected from the vast majority of malware and worms that are currently circling the Internet. With diligence in the future, you will be protected from most of the variants of these worms as they are released.
How To Spot And Protect Yourself From An Infection
Corey Bogedain is a network technician
and web developer with Tech Experts. |
Are you finding it harder and harder to protect yourself from malicious attacks from the internet?
To help protect yourself you should first start with how to identify them. We will start with sorting them in basic categories.
Viruses – they attach themselves to any file so that when you start the program, you activate the virus. These viruses are usually sent through email or downloaded files from the internet.
Worms – worms are just like what they sound. They keep multiplying and using up all the resources from the computer till the computer comes to a complete stop. These usually are spread through P2P programs and email. They can also be spread over your local network.
Trojans (a.k.a Spyware) – Trojans are the worst. They are used to steal information from the user. They are installed and used without permission and usually have some type of key logger to record what you are typing and send it back to the source so that they can collect credit card numbers and username/password to accounts. These are generally the hardest to find because they usually consists of multiple files.
The best way to protect from and prevent infections is to run the best antivirus/spyware software around. The number one common reason people get infected is not that they accidently download it but, that they do not keep track if their antivirus is installed and updated properly.
Just because you see in the bottom corner that your antivirus is running, does not mean its doing its job. Every day you should check to make sure that your antivirus is updating so that you are protected against the most recent infections. By doing that even if you download a virus the antivirus will scan the file and catch it before it gets too late.
If you do not have an antivirus program installed, I recommend installing one as soon as possible.
One of the best currently out right now is Computer Associates E-Trust Integrated Threat Manager and Antivirus. The program isn’t free, but is a bargain compared to the cost of downtime and an infection.