Secure IT Alert: Merry Christmas! Microsoft has a package for you!

Microsoft didn’t forget you, in fact, they already have your Christmas present, which will be delivered in the form of patches on the infamous “Patch Tuesday”… So, whether you have been naughty or nice… Please update your computers! If you require assistance with managing updates for your personal computer, your server, or your entire business network in the Greenville and …

Secure IT Alert: Multiple updates for Microsoft and Adobe products for November 2012

Microsoft “patch day” for November is upon us like the cool autumn nights…. It looks like the Microsoft has a total of six bulletins with four of those being CRITICAL. In all, 19 vulnerabilities will be corrected and they will affect the .NET Framework, Internet Explorer and Office, in addition to Windows itself. But wait, that’s not all! You also …

Not to beat a dead horse, but even MORE social security numbers likely exposed in SC DOR hacking

The news only gets worse… Ā  This morning, officials in the South Carolina Department of Revenue data breech investigation are saying that the number of tax payer social security numbers that were reaped in the hacking event is much higher than initially thought. They have expanded it to an additional 200,000 SSNs, taking the grand total up to an estimated …

Your South Carolina business credit may at risk

You would have to be living under a rock to not be aware of the fact that network security at the South Carolina Department of Revenue has been compromised and that millions of Social Security Numbers have been potentially absconded with. What you might not know is that over 650 thousand businesses have also potentially been affected as well! The …

Wish your business had the servers of a Fortune 500 company? You can! #hacked

For a price, you can have access to a Fortune 500 server and network according to an article on krebsonsecurity.com. In the article, they explain hackers are creating a virtual services network of their own, using exploited / compromised / hacked systems sitting inside the corporate networks of Fortune 500 companies. But it is not just the big corporations that …

SC Department of Revenue cyber attack exposes 3.6 million social security numbers

A data breech due to a cyber attack on a South Carolina Department of Revenue web server has exposed a potential 3.6 million SC social security numbers and approximately 387,000 debit card numbers, however, the official report indicates that only a small portion of the card numbers were not encrypted. You can read about the attack timeline and responseĀ here and …

Relying on Jesus for computer and network security will not protect you

I bet that title got your attention! But according to a list of passwords examined, “Jesus” will not protect you, as it is on SplashData’s list of password’s that are considered unsafe due to the sheer usage of them. Obviously, “password” is the worst, followed by “123456” and “12345678”. I stole the following list of passwords from SplashData from the …

Mass murder via computer malware in medical devices #MurderByMalware

Imagine you have a pacemaker installed, and suddenly, the device discharges 830 volts into your body, certainly a fatal incident. Now imagine that it is not accidental, but instead, a computer is used to make a wireless connection and cause this behavior to occur. Ā Murder by Malware if you will… Ā Or, due to a “feature” in the pacemaker itself, multiple …

Helpdesk Upgrade Alert – Your Mailbox is almost full scam emails still going around

An email arrives in your inbox with the subject of “Helpdesk Upgrade Alert”, tells you that your mailbox is almost full, and it includes a handy indicator saying that of your 244 MB quota, you have used 241MB. The text reads, “The Helpdesk is upgrading and maintaining database Server from the old Microsoft Server (No420134x) to the new Microsoft Server …