You found that if you reboot that firewall (pull the plug on the thing since there is no power supply) that YOU get back online right away, but then later that day, someone else on the network is now having trouble accessing websites so you reboot the firewall and all is well, for a while.

What could it be? It MUST be the firewall going bad since that fixes it.

Before jumping to that conclusion and just replacing the device, think back. Has your company grown? Maybe you have added a few new employees, or, maybe you have added tablets or other connected devices.

What could be happening here is that you have added one too many devices to your network and exceeded the number of seats that your firewall appliance supports. When you originally purchased that device, a technician counted the number of computers, servers and connected devices and said “You need a 25 user firewall and it will cost $xxx.xx”, to which you agreed and promptly forgot about.

Now, flash forward to today and your 12 users and a server have grown to 15 users, two servers and many people have iPads or Android tablets or phones, taking you past the 25 user limit.  The last person to connect once you go over the limit will generally be denied access to websites by the firewall, as a warning that you have exceeded the license terms, and it probably won’t “reset” just by turning that computer off, you will have to reboot the firewall to free unused seats up.

So what are you going to do about it? I guess you could tell the employees to stop connecting their personal phones to your network, or you could replace the firewall with a cheap router that has no limitations.

Both will work, but are bad ideas.

The real solution is to correct the licensing issue. Determine how many connected devices you have within your network, and estimate how many you will need for the next year, then talk to a vendor who can provide the proper licenses and apply those for you. Don’t forget to include VoIP and security systems, even copiers and connected printers, as they may require a seat too.

If you are experiencing rapid growth, consider upgrading to an unlimited license.

Just a note – If you have an old device, say 4-5 years old, now may be the time to consider upgrading the entire device to the latest technology at the same time you correct the user limitation!

Should you require help with this, Homeland Secure IT offers sales and support of most major brands of firewalls. We partner with Cisco, WatchGuard, SonicWALL, TrendNet, D-Link, NetGear and more! Call us for more information in the Greenville / Upstate SC area – 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

The instructions for doing so are simply to click on the settings cog at the top of the Google page, then select “Search Settings”.

Next find “Personal results” and select “Do not use personal results”.

This makes the “Hide personal results” the default for your searching pleasure.

Thank you to Melanie Pinola for posting that as I have already had a few people inquire about it!

Hughes probably has the highest market penetration, and those using it have been quick to complain about caps and upload speed.

This is where ViaSat comes in. They revealed their home satellite system at CES and Engadget has a pretty good write-up with a video that tells more about the 12 Mbps down/3 Mbps up service that runs $50.oo per month.

What is left out is what types of data caps they may have.

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas – Computer Version

I first read this story on a University of Arkansas computer system sometime before 1985 and promptly typed it up and put it on my BBS (Non-Prophet BBS) for people to read. I have sent it in email, and “snail mail” for the last 25 years or so…  I still get a kick out of it.   If anyone knows the author, please contact me so I can give credit and thank them. – John M. Hoyt

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas – Computer Version

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the shop,
The computers were whirring; they never do stop.
The power was on and the temperature right,
In hopes that the input would feed back that night.

The system was ready, the program was coded,
And memory drums had been carefully loaded;
While adding a Christmasy glow to the scene,
The lights on the console, flashed red, white and green.

When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,
The programmer ran to see what was the matter.
Away to the hallway he flew like a flash,
Forgetting his key in his curious dash.
He stood in the hallway and looked all about,
When the door slammed behind him, and he was locked out.

Then, in the computer room what should appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer;
And a little old man, who with scarcely a pause,
Chuckled: “My name is Santa…the last name is Claus.”

The computer was startled, confused by the name,
Then it buzzed as it heard the old fellow exclaim:
“This is Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
And Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.”

With all these odd names, it was puzzled anew;
It hummed and it clanked, and a main circuit blew.
It searched in its memory core, trying to “think”;
Then the multi-line printer went out on the blink.

Unable to do its electronic job,
It said in a voice that was almost a sob:
“Your eyes – how they twinkle – your dimples so merry,
Your cheeks so like roses, your nose like a cherry,

Your smile – all these things, I’ve been programmed to know,
And at data-recall, I am more than so-so;
But your name and your address (computers can’t lie),
Are things that I just cannot identify.

You’ve a jolly old face and a little round belly,
That shakes when you laugh like a bowl full of jelly;
My scanners can see you, but still I insist,
Since you’re not in my program, you cannot exist!”

Old Santa just chuckled a merry “ho, ho”,
And sat down to type out a quick word or so.
The keyboard clack-clattered, its sound sharp and clean,
As Santa fed this “data” into the machine:

“Kids everywhere know me; I come every year;
The presents I bring add to everyone’s cheer;
But you won’t get anything – that’s plain to see;
Too bad your programmers forgot about me.”

Then he faced the machine and said with a shrug,
“Merry Christmas to All,” as he pulled out its plug,
“And to all, a good night!”

 Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 SP2

As promised, Microsoft released SP2 for Exchange Server 2010 on 2011-12-12, and the SP brings with it a number of features and fixes:

• Incorporates all the changes from Update Rollup 1 through 6 for SP1
• Adds Hybrid Configuration Wizard for ease of managing a deployment between your on site Exchange and your Office 365 Exchange
• Introduces Address Book Policies, which determine the GAL, OAB, room list and address lists that are visible to the mailbox user that is assigned that policy
• New Cross-Site Silent Redirection for Outlook Web App can pass off requests to another server in another Active Directory site, and also permit a single sign-on
• Adds Mini Version of Outlook Web App suited for mobile users (tablets, pads, smart phones, basically anything with a browser)
• Mailbox Replication Service changes permit you to move mailboxes from on-premises to another forest or Outlook.com
• Mailbox Auto-Mapping changes allow you to disable Auto-Mapping to save on resources
• Added five Multi-Valued Custom Attributes which allow you to store additional information for your mail recipient objects
• Litigation Hold prohibits you from disabling or deleting a mailbox that has been placed on “litigation hold”

If you are running an Exchange Server 2010 without the current rollups applied to SP1, updating to SP2 today is a great idea as you can kill multiple birds with one stone!

Should you require assistance in the Greenville or Upstate, SC area please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

TP-Link TL-MR3020 3G Wireless N Router

TP-Link just announced a new product in their stable of connectivity devices called the TL-MR3020 Portable 3G/3.75G Wireless N Router.

This little gadget will allow you to plug your USB 3G modem into and it in turn lets multiple Wi-Fi devices to share that connection!

Sure, there are other devices out there that do the same thing, but this one has some distinctive features, such as a firewall with port forwarding & port triggering, UPnP, Parental Controls, Access Schedules, MAC address filtering and a 3G/WAN failover function!

With one of these and your 3G USB modem, your iPad, Android tablet, X-Box, notebook computer and any other Wi-Fi device can be connected to the internet wherever you are! This could be the perfect camping or tailgating companion. It could make for backup connectivity for your business as well.

These are priced at under 40 dollars and they are compatible with over 120 UMTS/HSPA/EVDO 3G USB modems. If you need more information or want to get one, give us a call at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

This is obviously not good for those using the iPad for financial, medical or legal purposes.

The work around until this is fixed correctly is to lock the iPad while on the home screen or a screen which does not display anything of importance (Like “Please Stay Calm” or maybe “Angry Birds”).

A quick search turned up people talking about this on forums and a number of news articles such as this one from cnet.com.

There is mention of a security flaw with Siri that allows people to send text messages, emails and even make phone calls from a password-protected iPhone 4s lock screen.

Be sure get your devices up to date…

• OS X Lion v10.7.2 and Security Update 2011-006
• iTunes 10.5
• Safari 5.1.1
• iOS 5 Software Update
• Numbers for iOS v1.5
• Pages for iOS v1.5
• Apple TV 4.4

Apple iPhone

Smartphones: Whether it is an Android, iPhone or even a Windows based phone, you cannot survive without one. These devices provide instant communication with your clients through email, text message and phone, along with the ability to browse the web and select from tens of thousands of applications to assist in your business. Your clients will not wait for you to get to your office to respond to an email. Even a quick, “I’m driving, will respond as soon as it is safe” auto-response is better than no response. The cost of a typical phone can range from 100 to 300 dollars per phone depending on features and term of contract from the carrier of your choice.

Square Credit Card Reader

Credit Card Processing: If you expect to get paid, then you need to accept every form of payment possible, including plastic. Yes, you will lose a little bit on the sale, but you will gain an instant payment. If you are just getting started, without purchasing a machine or paying a monthly charge, you can accept credit cards anywhere you have a cell signal using the Square credit card application with your smart phone and the free reader device that they provide to you. No per-swipe fee, and less than 3.0% charge. Fast, secure, and in your account the next business day. Find it in your phones’s marketplace.

Reliable & Fast Internet: There are a lot of choices these days for fast internet, from DSL to cable to fiber, and the old tried and true T1 standard, but some businesses may find that a wireless broadband internet plan may be enough for them. We recommend Charter Business in most situations, but that varies depending upon what is available at the business location. One advantage to using a cellular based broadband internet connection is that you can take it with you, which is great for businesses that are not tied to one specific location. Typical 4G plans will provide over 5 meg down and up to 2 meg up. Verizon Wireless offers the MiFi devices for around 50 dollars with 5GB plans for 50 dollars per month.

IP Surveillance Cameras

IP surveillance: Sure it sounds like the CIA, but IP security cameras at your business will decrease loss of inventory, increase productivity, and may provide an insurance savings. You can even keep tabs on your employees using a smartphone or any web browser to view these camera. Recordings can be reviewed after events occur, and most systems can email you when there is movement in a particular location. Prices range from $150 for a single entry level camera into the $2000 range to cover an entire business. You can install yourself, or get an IT provider to handle this for you for the most professional results.

Email: This is a no-brainer, but many small businesses will cut corners here. A Hotmail account will work for sure, but who wants AcmeWidgetCo@hotmail.com on their business cards. At the very least, your business should use a service that allows for linking a domain to your mail, such as Google Apps (Gmail) or Microsoft Office 365. This gives you a professional appearance, and provides for important features such as linking of your smartphones, sharing of calendars between users and so much more. Microsoft Office 365 costs about 5 dollars per person per month and gives you up to 20GB of storage.

Anti-Virus & Security: Far too often this is overlooked, or taken for granted. A business that is vulnerable to viruses or malware is a business that could experience costly downtime and repairs, not to mention, open yourself up for compliance violations and potential fines or legal issues depending upon the field you are in. The components of a secure network are as simple as a quality firewall like those offered from Cisco, Watchguard or SonicWall, an anti-virus software package from Trend Micro or Symantec, and taking the time to apply updates to the Operating System (Windows, Mac, etc) and support software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, JAVA).

Backup: When disaster strikes, you need to be prepared for it. Having backups of your important files will insure you are not out of business when a computer or server fails. Backups technology can be as simple as an external USB drive or remote backup solution, or on the other end of the spectrum, as complicated as auto-loader tape drives. One thing is for sure, ANY attempt to backup your data is better than none. For automated cloud backup solutions, consider Servosity or Mozy Pro.

Here at Homeland Secure IT, we utilize a vast array of technology and we also help many small and medium businesses and even home offices stay up to date. If we can help you with decisions regarding your Greenville or Upstate technology infrastructure, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We offer sales, service, repair and consultation of everything from computers to VoIP.

What is your “must have” business technology? I would love to hear about it.  VoIP phone systems? iPad, Android or Windows based tablet computers? A favorite app (We love TiKL & Waze)?

Large businesses have full-time IT staff or fully outsourced IT support that provide monitoring of their infrastructure and keep them up to date and now small & medium (SMB) businesses can have the same level of support when it comes to devices on their network.

Cisco OnPlus works by allowing Homeland Secure IT or your Cisco SMB service provider to place a Cisco OnPlus Network Agent at your location and configure it for reporting.  The Cisco SMB specialist will be able to monitor your site from remote on a variety of devices, from handheld to tablets, to desktops and take action when needed.

OnPlus is the latest tool in the Managed Service Provider’s arsenal. Using it, Cisco products can be backed up, restored and fully managed remotely. Other devices are supported as well!

As always with Cisco, security is the name of the game and OnPlus provides a secure environment for your IT service provider to manage your network. Your data is safe from prying eyes, only the devices themselves can be managed and use of this system does not permit access to data outside of configuration and management.

If you would like your business to have monitoring, alerting, reporting and managing capabilities, then ask your Cisco SMB provider about this exciting offering. No need to wait for a service or repair technician to visit your location, management is handled in real-time, remotely! This service is one of the most affordable methods for managing your firewalls and security appliances, IP surveillance systems, switches, routers, VoIP phone systems and more.

Homeland Secure IT provides Cisco SMB sales and support in the Greenville & Upstate SC area. Call us today at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.

The article above gives all the details you can stand, and a quick search of Google for news articles will tell you everything else you want to know.

The skinny is this: All versions of Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0 and earlier are susceptible to listening in on their magic. IE: When you are using websites protected with TLS 1.0 and are hit with a browser exploit, everything is in the clear.

How do you protect against this one? Since this is likely a man-in-the-middle type exploit, using public wi-fi may make it easier for an attacker to make it happen. It also requires that the “BEAST” browser exploit be somehow loaded on your computer. How that payload will be delivered has yet to be determined.

Consider keeping virus definition up to date, using quality anti-virus like Trend Micro Worry Free for your business, or Titanium for your personal computer or smaller business. Keep the OS up to date, the browser and all support applications such as JAVA and Adobe Flash Player should also have the latest updates.

Be careful about which pages you visit, sites with questionable content (think porn, “warez”, etc) are excellent places to avoid.

Using a VPN when on public wi-fi is always a great idea.

While the proof of concept has not been released, expect copycat “BEAST” exploits to be out within weeks, or even days…

Be careful out there! (And don’t think this will be limited to Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer…  Expect Mac, Android, iPad, iPhone, Mozilla & Chrome to get in on the action too)

Here’s a look at our site for July 1st until August 1st broken down by browser and platform:

Homeland Secure IT Browser Stats

Other than the super-high bounce rate, we see some important information…

Internet Explorer running Microsoft Windows is just darn popular! Followed by Firefox and then Chrome, also on Windows…   In fact, they account for about 80 percent of all traffic…

Up next is Safari & Firefox on the Mac…  And then down a bit is Chrome on the Mac.  Mac is the apparent source of 9.38% of traffic to our site (And less than 5% of our business).

The iPad viewers and the Android viewers accounted for 2% and 1.2% respectively… So a number of people were sitting on the toilet while surfing our site.

Here’s a further break down of mobile user specs:

Homeland Secure IT mobile browser info

iPad, iPhone & iPod dominates this category for sure, with Android 2nd, and Blackberry 3rd…   Windows made a horrible showing… And what’s up with Palm? Someone is using that? hehe

I compared these stats to July 2010 and found Android usage has come up considerably, but iPad maintained a steady lead even then.

Looking at the percentage of Windows versus other platforms, Windows has lost only a two percentage points in a year, and those were taken up by mobile devices.

It will be interesting to see what this looks like in another year. I’m guessing mobile device usage will continue to grow, maybe even at an accelerated rate due to the large numbers of new tablets being introduced, and smartphones replacing older cell phones…

What are your experiences with your own website/s?

WCSO Mobile App

My brother, Rick Hoyt, is employed by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas and he brought it to my attention that their department is the first in the nation to produce an iPhone app…

This thing is so cool that I loaded it on my iPad so I could see what was going on where I used to live!

It will allow you to check the Detention Center intake report, see the Most Wanted, a list of deadbeat dads/moms and more.

The company that made it is Mobile Patrol, LLC of Revolution Technologies, LLC from Rogers Arkansas and I imagine they are going to be swamped with calls from other law enforcement departments wanting their own apps such as this.

How cool is to to able to see the incarcerated individuals right on your phone? Not so cool if it is someone you know, and even less cool, if someone is seeing you there, but hey, none-the-less, it is good for some entertainment.

Click the graphic to check out the app on iTunes, or just click here.  Now they just need to produce a twin app to work with Android.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with the two technologies.

IP Surveillance Systems offer a multitude of advantages over analog, including return on investment, ease of deployment, enhanced feature set and an owner experience and satisfaction.

Homeland Secure IT is happy to be a partner with D-Link, a world leader in IP Surveillance. Though we offer many others brands, a growing number of businesses and organizations are turning to D-Link’s products. If you would like more information about what IP Surveillance can do to give you peace of mind and security, call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

We are always happy to give a demonstration in the Greenville / Upstate area, at your office or ours. We can even meet for coffee and demonstrate the remote viewing and management capabilities using an Android, iPad or notebook computer.

Stop wondering what is happening at your business when you are away. Be notified of movement in sensitive areas on your smartphone.

Put an end to the unasked or unanswered questions about personnel attendance or actions.

Watch that blind spot in your store where product has vanished in the past.

Who’s using all the office supplies? You’ll know.

Watch the parking lot, know what is going on outside your walls.

All that and more is possible!

Please write-in Homeland Secure IT for Computer Service Provider

We believe that Homeland Secure IT is the best Computer Service Provider in the Upstate, and we are hoping you do too!

Therefore, we humbly request that you click on the Greenville News “Best of the Upstate 2011″ logo on the left and take a moment to vote for us!

Our category is item #9, “Computer Service Provider”, please write-in “Homeland Secure IT”.

I believe you can vote daily from June 19th through July 10th…

Thank you so much for your support!

John & Pamela Hoyt

For as little as $39.95 a month, you can store your data online, instantly and share it between multiple devices, including iPhones, iPads and Androids. You can even share with friends and family with complete permissions!

You can get more information directly from Trend Micro, and even try it out for free!

http://us.trendmicro.com/us/products/personal/safe-sync/

As your Upstate / Greenville, SC Trend Micro partner, we can offer this all of the Trend Micro product line, including installation, support and consultation. Call us at 864.990-4748 for more information or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Sure, they may have a valid concern, but what about the more immediate concern about your smart phone security?

Not much is being said about this one, but I hope that will change. It seems that users of smartphones will believe anything! If an app asks for credentials to a social media site, people give them without questioning it at all. A group of researchers published their findings about 100 apps designed for both the iPhone and Android phones in which they came up with more than a dozen ways in which scammers could utilize malicious code to allow the collection of user names and passwords on popular social media sites!
Here’s their findings…. http://w2spconf.com/2011/papers/felt-mobilephishing.pdf

Obviously, the phishing is good in smartphone land!

Expect more to be said about this from security experts and news outlets as time goes on.

BTW: The next time you are prompted for your credentials, you might want to just think about WHY you would need to give them….

The chair for the workgroup of the WHO, Jonathan Samet, MD, from the University of Southern California stated, “evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification.” and that “The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cellphones and cancer risk.”.

I guess that means that our overly-connected society is at risk, in general!

How long until heath insurance companies raise the rates of those who own cell phones?

Maybe…  In fact, laws on the books that state that everything you do at work is property of the employer, however, I am not a lawyer, so I won’t get into that.  What I WILL harp on is that if you do decide to delete a folder containing *your* personal files, not files belonging to the soon-to-be-ex-employer, then everything should be okay, but when you cross the line and either delete *everything* you can, including important system files, or possibly use a “secure wipe” application to write 1s and 0s to the drive, or even attempt to format a drive, then you have moved from protecting your privacy to destruction of property, malicious mischief, and a whole plethora of laws that cover this.

There is an entire field dedicated to recovering data intentionally deleted or destroyed. These “forensic” technicians are very good at it and also come with a hefty price tag. So, if you should happen to delete files, and it causes your former employer to enlist the assistance of an expert in recovery, then you can expect the associated costs to be passed on to you.

My advice is as follows:

If you are at work, why not work? Try to keep your personal files and emails totally off the business network. Use your Android or iPhone to read emails, or optionally web based email (gmail) if your company policy allows accessing external email accounts via the web on work computers.

Failing that, keep all your non-work email in a folder named something like “John’s Personal Email”, and personal files in a similarly named folder. Upon leaving, delete those and ONLY those folders.

What about your browser cache, all those cookies, auto-logged on sites, etc? Well, if your personal life did not intertwine with work, then you wouldn’t have this problem, but now you do, so what to do?  You COULD empty the cache, or you could use a tool like “CCleaner”, but those will remove legit work-related data too. Of course you could have enabled privacy mode and attempted to browse without leaving a trace, but you didn’t.

Okay, so just what CAN be recovered should you decide to delete your files and email before you leave?

Depending on how the Exchange server is configured, your mail may be backed up, possibly archived, forever, so even if you delete your mail today, last night’s backup got it all up until it ran.

Your desktop may be backed up as well, and it is possible that you do not even know it is happening. More and more businesses are opting for nightly, weekly or monthly imaging of all PCs.  Some computers are set to sync the documents folders to a centralized server.

And there’s always the chance that an employee will FEEL you did something bad, even if you had no intent to defraud them of their data and they will hire someone like me and my company, Homeland Secure IT to retrieve data from the hard drive. As I write this post, I am doing that for a new client in a similar situation.

Just what can we recover? Most everything. A “DELETE” doesn’t get it. Actually, we have successfully recovered files from a hard drive that had a “secure wipe” performed on it.

If your business needs data recovery services, please contact us in the Greenville / Upstate, SC area at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com – If it’s there, we’ll get it.

In the past, Internet Cleaning Day has taken place during a 24hr period, but due to new techniques, ISPs have managed to narrow it down to only 1 hour which they have conveniently scheduled for 12pm to 1pm in each time zone.

While normal analog phone systems are not going to be affected, VoIP systems WILL be… This is often overlooked! You should follow the same procedure if your business is using Voice over IP technology. If you are unsure, it is best to disconnect the cables and place in the same container as your network cables.

The real question here is, what happens to the data on the hard drive in your old system? Do you take the drive out and dispose of it? Do you format it and reinstall the operating system? Do you physically destroy the drive? Do you possibly use a “Secure Wipe” on the drive?

Did you know many people don’t give it a second thought? They hand their system over, with their data intact! Expecting the person on the other end to do the right thing.

I was recently talking with my good friend Brent over at Shred Disk and a group of other Greenville business owners about this topic, and we decided it would be interesting to find out for ourselves what becomes of data in old systems, consider it a science experiment if you will.

Brent went to an Upstate computer dealer and asked to purchase the smallest drive that they had. He was given a “repurposed” hard drive at a reasonable cost. An older Seagate 40gb IDE drive, which he dropped by the Homeland Secure IT office for us to examine.

We took the drive and connected it to our system, found it had been formatted, or possibly “wiped” and then set out to see if we could recover anything.  Here’s a video of what we found:

As you can see, even I was surprised at the results!

The bottom line here is… PROTECT YOURSELF from this!  A format is not the answer, a “secure wipe”, may NOT be as secure as you think.

The ONLY 100% reliable way to protect your data is the destroy the hard drive. Shred Disk is a company that can assist you with that! Whether you have one or one thousand hard drives, they can come to you, remove the drives and shred the drive into tiny pieces and provide you with a certificate of destruction that will free you from liability! Shred Disk even has a ship it in program that I hear is about to start, where you can pay online, an envelope will be sent to you and you can send the drive the drive to Shred Disk, they will document the opening of that envelope on video along with the shredding of the unit. You can even opt to have the crushed remains sent back to you with a certificate of destruction.

You may think you can destroy a drive by yourself, using a hammer or even a shotgun, however, we advise against these alternatives due to the potential for shrapnel. Use a professional. Contact Shred Disk Onsite Hard Drive Shredding. They also shred other media too, such as tapes and entire electronic devices!

All hard computer hard drives left at Homeland Secure IT will be eventually DESTROYED by Shred Disk, so if you upgrade a computer through us, your drive and your data will NEVER leave our doors. We do *not* sell used hard drives for any purpose.

In spite of what I said about safe browsing from public wi-fi hotspots using a VPN a while back, it sounds like a “proof of concept” is about to be published which states that the mere action of connecting to a public WiFi hotspot, then establishing the VPN can potentially give away the VPN credentials. This could potentially happen whether it is an open (unsecured) access point, or a rogue (man-in-the-middle) AP.

If this is true, which we should know in a few weeks, then it sounds to me like ditching WiFi all together is not a bad idea if your data is valuable. 3g and 4g connectivity through your wireless provider may well be the best bet.

Obviously, this is not platform specific (Mac would be just as vulnerable as a Windows PC), and it is not a bug in the operating systems or VPN software.

I will be posting more information should it be proven to be a legitimate threat. Until then, stay safe….

In their live web stream, they discussed the benefits of using ShredDisk Onsite Hard Drive Shredding, and how traditional means of erasing a hard drive before donating the computer and drive to charity or even selling it are ineffective in protecting your data. The only 100% effective way to protect your data is to destroy the drive!

ShredDisk does just that by pulverizing the drive into “data confetti” and providing you with a certificate of destruction if required. ShredDisk will do this at YOUR location so the drive/s never leave your sight.

It doesn’t matter if you have a Microsoft Windows machine, Windows Server, Mac OSX, Linux or any other hard drive! ShredDisk even destroys mobile phones, smart phones, drives from multi-function machines such as copiers, flash media, and entire notebook computers!

Here’s a demonstration of The Shredder in action:

Homeland Secure IT is proud to partner with ShredDisk to offer their data destruction services for our computer service clients in the Greenville and Upstate SC area…  Call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information.

For those interested,  @BigJonEvans rents his body out (okay, just his forehead) for advertising purposes… Check out his website or follow him on Twitter or Facebook (John Evans).

Example of a Privacy Filter in Place

During these visits, I was asked about the security of Electronic Medical Records and discussed that at length with doctors, clients, friends and my family. Fast forward to today and I am seeing more and more smaller clinics switching to EMR / EHR and some are doing a fantastic job of protecting themselves and their clients from the threats that exist.

What surprised me is that for all the anti-virus, anti-malware, firewalls and security devices, setting screens to time-out and lock, implementing strict password policies and the like, one simple thing is missing from many of these computers and servers.

A privacy filter for the screen… These fairly inexpensive will keep someone who is not directly in line with the monitor from viewing the display.

3M makes a fantastic assortment of these filters to fit your notebook, tablet, desktop LCD, even your smart phone!  I would recommend one be placed on every computer used for patient information.

For more information about these privacy filters, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Secure your Wi-Fi Connection with a VPN

WSPA’s Amy Wood (@TVAmy) had a great segment on last night (2011-02-07) in which she had Doug Cone (@nullvariable) a local web/graphics “devsigner” discussing the dangers of using public Wi-Fi. You can find that story here.

He demonstrated a tool which allows even the most novice of “hackers” to see a list of others who are using any given open wireless access point. He did this at a coffee shop and then went around and scared the bejeebus out of people by showing them how much information was at his fingertips.

In a discussion on Facebook the other day with Doug and Russell Tripp (@RussellTripp), I suggested that those two get together and product a video showing the same information in depth and then explaining how to protect yourself from this all-too-real security threat. I believe they may be doing that as a follow-up to the WSPA story and will post that information here as a reply when that becomes a reality.

In the mean time, I thought I give some info about one tool that is both readily available and super-affordable that you can use to secure your connection when using a public Wi-Fi hotspot. That tool is a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. Yes, the same VPN technology that has been around for a very long time and used in businesses and larger corporations, and it is so easy, a caveman could do it. (I’m sure a lawsuit is forthcoming for my use of that slogan)

A VPN connection established to your home will allow you to connect to the open wireless network of your choice, build a “tunnel” to your home connection, and then send all traffic through the wireless network through the encrypted tunnel, providing a very secure transport.

All that is needed is a VPN capable router or firewall at your home. But wait, you say you can’t afford a Cisco ASA 5505 (or WatchGuard or SonicWALL security appliance). That’s okay, you don’t need one.

You may already have a compatible home router that can be setup with the free DD-WRT (the website http://www.dd-wrt.com has a list of compatible routers) which provides VPN capability to your 40 dollar Linksys or similar device!

The setup is pretty straight-forward once the device end is ready. Connecting takes only seconds.

The VPN is not just for Microsoft Windows, but also Apple Mac OSX, iPad, linux, freebsd, solaris, etc. Most smartphones including Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile and Blackberry should have the ability to utilize your VPN too.

If you don’t have a compatible router, you could optionally use OpenVPN on your PC, and last but not least, you could use the OpenVPN HOSTED service. The hosted solution comes with a price tag, but for many it may be worth it to protect their privacy.

If you are fortunate enough to work for a company with a VPN already in place, you could probably use that as an option, assuming the IT policy permits you to do so.

Should you require assistance in Greenville or the Upstate for your personal or business VPN needs, we are partners with Cisco, WatchGuard, SonicWALL, ZyXEL and have a solution that is right for you. Call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.