All posts by kirklesser

Microsoft calls Google Malicious

February 22, 2012Uncategorizedkirklesser

A recent update to Microsoft's anti-virus and anti-spyware solutions, Forefront and Security Essentials, tagged Google.com as a malicious site. An update went out a few hours later to correct this but it required users to run the update, to fix the previous update. While the issue was rather benign, it raises the question of how updates to programs that are supposed to protect you end up either costing you more time, or possibly even cause more problems for your systems.

With the decades of experience with computer infrastructures, Renascence IT has seen anti-virus programs quarantine or delete items as false positives, Microsoft releasing updates for their operating systems that have then promptly crashed said systems, and patched programs no longer work. While it is hard to anticipate what might go wrong on updates or patches, we have the experience to know what to look for and how to time such updates so your business is not crippled by a "fix". Feel free to email or contact us with any questions on how to patch your systems or any other IT-related issues.

Is it Safe to Bank on Public Wi-Fi?

February 8, 2012Uncategorizedkirklesser

An article released by Upgrade Your Life discusses how easy it is for someone to hack your online bank account at a public Wi-Fi spot. While you may be secure behind your own company's protection, an employee who has access to your bank logins can easily lead your company's financials into malicious hands. The article goes on to explain how easily you can be led astray by fake websites who then steal your login and now have your financial information.

At Renascence IT, we look beyond the company that's behind four physical walls. You can secure laptops, desktops and networks down, but with more and more people doing their work in the "cloud" or travelling, it is too easy to hack your information. We, however, can provide solutions to these problems (most free or nearly free) and make sure your money stays with your business and not in someone else's hands.

Why Offsite Backups are Needed

February 2, 2012Uncategorizedkirklesser

A couple of weeks ago, I had a client who leases office space on the 5th floor of an 8 story building. I got a panicked call on a Monday that there was a fire on the 8th floor and that water may have seeped down to lower floors. We braced for the potential of having water soaked servers and prepped a team to go onsite. Thankfully, they suffered no water damage, but was a wake up call for them that even tough they had onsite backups, they needed to make sure their offsite system of file storage was safe.

At your company, do you backup your data? Most of you do. However, have you thought about what might happen if your office, your building or your server room goes the way of Mother Nature, act of God, or malicious person? How do you recover from your backup if your backup is ALSO destroyed? At Renascence IT, we have multiple options for rotational backups or cloud based storage that are even secure by HIPAA, SSAE 16, and SSAE 70 standards. You put on a seat belt and have an air bag in the event of an accident, shouldn't you do the same for your company? Contact us for a free evaluation or quote.

STOP using PC Anywhere!

January 26, 2012Uncategorizedkirklesser

Recently, hackers got into Symantec and downloaded source code for older versions of their anti-virus product. They also got a hold of the code for PC-Anywhere. It is a program that allows you to remote into your systems from other locations. However, there are several vulnerabilities with this program and with the recent acquisition of this code by hackers, there is a genuine fear of unwanted individuals getting access to machines.

If you have the program, please uninstall it. There are several other programs and services (many free) that serve a similar purpose. At Renascence IT, we can recommend what would fit for your company. If you don't know if you have PC Anywhere, contact us and we can promptly assist!

The End of Qwerty?

January 15, 2012Uncategorizedkirklesser

Keyboards have been around for over 100 years. They have been great for laptops, desktops, and typewriters. However as phones are being used to create emails, chat, and socialize, the keyboard either is an attached device that adds weight or it takes up valuable on screen real estate for the user to type. This is where a new program called Snapkeys enters. It is an app for the iPhone and Android that allows you to type on the side of the screen in an intuitive fashion!

At Renascence IT Consulting, we don't only look at your business IT needs, we also look at ways at how to make your business more productive. Whether it is new apps, or free programs that can help your company's efficiency. Contact us to work with your particular company and its needs to make it more successful.

http://www.snapkeys.com/

Do You Know Your Cyberthreats?

January 10, 2012Uncategorizedkirklesser

Worm, virus, and trojan (horse). Do you know the difference? How about what phishing is or when a patch comes out to block a SQL injection? Much like the real world, knowing what can hurt and possibly fatally kill your company is the first step to prevention. Just as knowing to wash your hands after using a restroom to prevent sickness, understanding these terms are allows you to understand how to combat problems faster.

At Renascence IT, we have decades of experience dealing with all of the internet's darker side. We are constantly on top of the newest ways that cyber criminals are trying to part your sensitive data from your company. Contact us if you need to decipher or assist what is going on with your network.

Glossary of Cyber Threats:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/010912-cyberthreats-254681.html?hpg1=bn

Would you click this link?

December 20, 2011Uncategorizedkirklesser

This is an actual email I received over the weekend:

It is confirmation for my air flight to Boston on American Airlines. It shows the flight number, and amount I paid. The problem is, I never booked a flight for American Airlines. Worried that I might have had my identity or credit card number stolen, I could click the link on this email. However, if I did, I would have been infected with malware and/or rootkits that would give criminals immediate access to my computer, the network I was on, and other sensitive information.

How would you handle this situation, and more importantly, how would your employees? With all of your protection from the internet, all it takes is an uninformed user to click the link to bring your entire defense crashing down. At Renascence IT Consulting, we are constantly on the look out and attend security seminars to know the latest and greatest attempts for people to try and part you from your company’s sensitive and financial data. If you are concerned for your business, please contact us and we can conduct a free on site visit to examine your current setup and teach your employees how to deal with situations such as the one above.

Is USB destroying YOUR company?

November 30, 2011Uncategorizedkirklesser

A recent study by Kingston, a memory manufacturer, has shown that the majority of employees misusing USB drives at the workplace, most of the time unknowingly. In a survey of 451 IT staff in the UK, 73% had observed that USB drives were being used unauthorized by the company, and 72% had experienced users who lost drives with company data but failed to report the loss.

A company can spend millions of dollars to protect their outside and systems from external problems, but many don't realize the biggest threat to a company comes from their own employees, most of the time due to lack of education on proper ways to use a business computer. If you are concerned that your data may be lost in a subway cushion somewhere, or that an associate unwittingly brought malware into the business by plugging in a benign USB key, then contact us. We have worked with different sized companies in different industries and can work with you to not only lock down your network, but also, and more importantly, explain to your employees good computer practices that could save you your business down the road.

Facebook Denies Vulnerability Then Quietly Fixes It

November 2, 2011Uncategorizedkirklesser

A vulnerability that was at first denied by Facebook has been fixed. It allowed someone to send someone else on Facebook an executable file, even if the two were not friends. The problem is that this could be used for a phishing, or targeted attack. The file could be malicious software that then allows someone to immediately have access to the victim's computer, network, and data. Facebook has since locked this down.

With this vulnerability locked down, does it mean your company should allow its employees to use Facebook? Like anything in life, this social networking portal can be used to promote your company, and drive up sales, but it could also be a way for malicious forces to have easy access to your network and sensitive information. How do you balance the two? At Renascence IT Consulting, we are wary of Facebook, but use it for our own marketing purposes. If you are interested on how we struck this chord, contact us for more information or other IT related help you may need.

How Quickly Can Your System Be Compromised?

October 18, 2011Uncategorizedkirklesser

I attended a technical conference last week and among many of the interesting subjects was how nasty the internet has become for PCs. A test was conducted of a Windows XP system with its firewall turned off and no Microsoft or application patches were installed. It was then left untouched by people. By hooking it up to the internet, it had become infected with malware and viruses in less than 15 minutes! Even by turning on the Windows Firewall, the system was still infected in under 150 days untouched by any person interacting with the computer!

Between patches, viruses, updates, malware, spyware, phishing, and socially engineered attacks, how can you keep your company's data safe? Renascence IT Consulting is available to look at your network and machines and make sure that you are prepared for the internet's dark side of the tracks. Contact us for a free on site examination of your business computers.