Unexpected three day sale on computers here in Greenville SC

Nexlink 1125 Micro Business Computer Sale

This never happens….  Welllll, I can’t say “never” after I post this…

One of our favorite vendors is having a sale and we are passing the savings on to you. Nexlink is offering 25 dollars off their prebuilt business computers, and if you order today (Wednesday March 27, 2013) through Friday the 29th, we can knock 25 dollars off the already great price, AND bump that warranty up to FIVE YEARS at absolutely no additional charge. (That’s actually 74 dollars saving over our normal price!)

Here’s what is available at this great pricing:

Nexlink Express 1125 i3 w8d – Intel Core i3-3220 3.30Ghz, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive w/Windows 7 Pro downgrade and FIVE YEAR manufacturer warranty – 676.oo

Nexlink Express 1125 i5 w8d – Intel Core i5-3330 3.0Ghz, 4GB RAM, 1TB hard drive w/ Windows 7 Pro downgrade and FIVE YEAR manufacturer warranty – 750.oo

Nexlink Express 1125 PENTW8D – Intel Pentium G645 2.9Ghz, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, w/ Windows 7 Pro downgrade and FIVE YEAR manufacturer warranty – 614.oo

Please note, these are BUSINESS computers! They don’t come loaded down with junk, they incredible warranties, and they are made with better components, such as genuine Intel motherboards, than you would find on off-the-shelf systems.

We have 100% customer satisfaction on these!

If you need one, or one thousand, we can help you or your business out, so please give us a call at 864-990-4748 or use our contact form on the website. Please note, we are closed for Good Friday, but if you contact us via email, or call on that day, I will insure you get this special.   We accept Visa and MC, and if you are ordering multiples, we may be able to arrange financing for you.

We also offer full computer service and computer support – we can install and migrate your data and configure these computers for your network!

It’s going to be a GOOD FRIDAY at Homeland Secure IT

In honor of Good Friday, Homeland Secure IT will be closed Friday, March 29th 2013.

We hope that you have plans to spend time reflecting on what this time of year means and that you can enjoy it with your family.

As always, if you have an emergency and require computer service, you can call us or email us and we will return your call or email ASAP!

Happy Easter!

Windows 8 automatic restart after updates really upsets some people

So you’ve got Windows 8 and you are loving it, or maybe not.

Once you get past that totally different interface, and the login if you are on a domain, one annoying trait that may tweak your shorts is the forced automatic restart after updates are applied. You would notice that where Windows keeps saying that your machine is going to reboot and actually starts to count down. How annoying, right?

Even though this behavior is annoying, it has a purpose! When “Patch Tuesday” comes around, and these updates are pushed to your computer and installed, it needs to reboot in order to close out the vulnerable components and patch them so you are protected from nasty exploits.

Failure to apply and activate updates can (and does) lead to machines which are in a vulnerable state, and visiting malicious websites, or opening malicious documents, even though the updates have been installed, but the machine is not rebooted, may result in viruses, trojans, worms and other malware being installed.

I think that was redundant, but I really want you to understand just how important these updates are!

That being said… Should you get too annoyed by the forced reboots, there’s a potential way around this by using the Group Policy Editor.   That setting is found under Local Computer Policy, Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Update…    Just set “No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installation” to “Enabled”.

But don’t do it, unless you have another means for maintaining your patch management.  Really, don’t do it.

If you would like to talk with someone about patch management, windows security, network security or anything computer support related for you or your business in the Upstate SC area, please call us at 864-990-4748 or use our contact form on our website.

Special – Fujitsu Stylistic M532 Android Business Tablet $399

fujitsu-stylistic-m532

We don’t often have prices that beat most of the online retailers, but today, we do!

If you are in need of an Android tablet that was designed with business use in mind, then this might be for you….

Fujitsu Stylistic M532 Built Tough Tablet PC is MIL-STD-810 tested and ready!

The Fujitsu M532 is a worthy candidate to consider for business users on a budget. It’s Built Tough – MIL-STD-810G tested rating definitely qualifies it as durable enough for business users.

The Core Features of the Fujitsu Stylistic M532:

  • Powered by NVIDIA ® Tegra® 3 T30S, Quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor
  • Android™ 4.0 Operating System
  • Attractive, slim design with light weight
  • TFT (IPS-type) display for wide viewing
  • Rugged glass protects the display
  • Built-Tough: MIL-STD-810G tested
  • Only $399 (plus tax) you pick up at our location in Greenville, SC

If you would like one, act NOW, call us at 864-990-4748 x201 or use our contact form at www.HomelandSecureIT.com.

Supplies are extremely limited….

 

Adobe and Microsoft patches galore for March 2013

While spring has not quite sprung, Microsoft and Adobe have both sprung a slew of updates for you.

It is important that you apply these updates to your computers and servers in order to keep your network secure.

Let’s start with Adobe – Four Flash security holes have been plugged in Flash Player 11.6.602.171 and earlier across all platforms.  Yes, that means you Apple Mac and Linux users need to get the updated Player version 11.6.602.180 or newer. Failure to do so could result in code being executed on your computer that could give a remote user complete control over it.

Next up…. Microsoft!

Products with updates include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office Suite (Visio Viewer 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, OneNote 2010, Office Outlook for Mac) and Silverlight 5 for both PC and Mac computers have a multitude of issues, with four critical bulletins.

Again, these updates should be installed as soon as possible.

If you or your organization requires assistance, please let us know. We can assist here in Upstate & Greenville SC with all your desktop, server and network security needs. We are an authorized Microsoft Partner and provide sales, service and support of their entire line of offerings. We can keep your computers secure, and in the event they need a virus cleaned off or removed, we can assist with that too!

Businesses wanting to employ the use of a patch management system, which will collect information about desktops, notebooks and other devices on their network, and push out updates from an easy to monitor server should contact us for more information!

864-990-4748 or use the contact link on our website.

We’ve renewed our Microsoft Education Reseller status…. Yea us!

Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller

We’re happy to announce that Homeland Secure IT has renewed our Microsoft Education Reseller status and are good for another year.

What does that mean?  Besides having to demonstrate that we know what we are doing through taking an exam, we have to actually have a clue about the sales of Microsoft products specifically available to the academic organizations we serve.

By maintaining our relationship as an AER (Authorized Education Reseller), we can offer Academic Volume Licensing which is not only convenient, but more affordable than retail, or standard open licensing.

It is available in as subscription model or even perpetual licenses.

If you are interested in this type of product, give us a call at 864-990-4748 in the Upstate / Greenville SC area.  We not only offer the sales, but also consultation, installation and maintenance of Microsoft software!

 

 

The best service in the Upstate isn’t from a big national franchise

The best service in the Upstate isn’t from a big national franchise… It’s from a locally owned business (that is part of a national franchise).

I’m not talking about computer or server service, I’m talking about automobile service this time.

If you follow me on social media, you probably saw me whining about my car issues recently, so skip the next couple paragraphs. For those who are not in the know, here’s the story.

On Tuesday, after several days of my car sitting in the driveway, including a missed day of work due to a horrible cold, I went to start the old bomb and … nothing. Not even a click.  The battery was completely dead. No big deal. I have a charger, which I dug out and tried. It did not want to cooperate at first, but finally, it began to charge the car and within 15 minutes, I was up and running. Well, let’s say I got to work.  But the car was not running well.  It was “bucking”, lunging forward at stop signs and lights, and even dying in intersections.  UGH! No fun at all.

After the vehicle sat at work, it wouldn’t start up… Completely dead.  And I wasn’t smart enough to bring the charger along, so Pamela came running to my rescue, driving back from Easley to Greenville (Where she had been 30 minutes earlier) with that charger. Made it home, and then charged it all night. So it started fine on Wednesday morning, but it didn’t want to run well.   Made it to a meeting though, and from there, went to an auto parts place.

I bought a new battery… Fixed the starting problem!   Didn’t fix the RUNNING problem.  Changed the air filter, added some octane booster (fuel injector cleaner hokus pokus stuff), cleaned the throttle body, MAF, etc.  No change.  Bought a can of ether (starting fluid) and sprayed around vacuum lines, looking for leaks… Nothing.  Drove it to Clemson, and at a crosswalk, the car lunged forward, towards kids crossing the street. Uhm ENOUGH!

I took it by Roots Goodyear in Easley, and they were backed up with a ton of clients. But still, about 5pm, Bob Root calls and tells me the car is ready.

When I dropped it off, I explained to him that I thought it could be something like a throttle position sensor, and we discussed coils (of which there are 6, and one has been replaced already).  So we were looking at repairs that could have been 200, 300, even 500 dollars.   I told him that I had to have it fixed, I have to get to work.  And I told him to change the oil too with a synthetic.

You wanna know how much the bill was?  Less than 80 dollars.   For the fix of the “bucking” and the oil service.

That’s excellent.  And you know what? It could have been so much worse for me.  If it had been another shop, I am not sure it would have been an 80 dollar repair.  Here’s a self-professed gearhead (me), telling a shop to fix a car. An unscrupulous repair facility might see that opportunity and wrack up a heck of a bill.

Not Bob Root.  Not yesterday. Not ever.

That’s why our family continues to use him. We always get a fair shake.   An honest and trustworthy business is difficult, but great to find.

Pamela and I strive to provide the same type of honest and reliable service here at Homeland for your business computer, server and network repairs. You will never have us replacing parts that we don’t know for sure are bad. We don’t suggest the replacement of a computer just because we make a fortune off of selling you a new one. We want to have you as a customer for a very long time, just like Root’s Goodyear will have us as a patron for a very long time!

THANK YOU BOB… For fast, reliable and affordable service… Hopefully we can return the favor sometime.

 

If YOU need car service, you know who I recommend…..

Root’s Goodyear Tire & Service
6804 Calhoun Memorial Hwy  Easley, SC 29640
(864) 306-6901

 

The next reason for gas costing more at the pump could be malware…

Some Off-Shore Oil Rigs Have Been “Incapacitated” By Malware Thanks To Pirated Music and Porn

Gasoline has started its seasonal increase in cost, as I am sure you have noticed.

Why does it cost of fluctuate? One reason is that as we move towards summer months, additives are implemented which are mandated to be used between April and September in a bid to reduce pollutants. The process costs money, as do the additives, and that is passed on to us. Another reason is an increase in travel, and obviously, the price is going to raise as high as the market will possibly support.

An article caught my eye and made me wonder if another issue may affect us at some point might be Malware.

The article’s headline says it all, “Some Off-Shore Oil Rigs have been “Incapacitated” By Malware Thanks to Pirated Music and Porn“… Follow the link through to read about how there are fears that malware on an oil rig could cause a blowout, explosion or oil spill and even the loss of life.

And I guess it just illustrates that bored workers with access to computers will do what they do best – waste time.

If you would like to discuss how we can keep your Greenville workers from becoming infected, please give us a call at 864-990-4748 – Infection at your workplace may not cause a “blowout”, but it could still potentially cost your company lots of money in downtime and recovery.

Oracle Java vulnerabilities – This is not a repeat

Nothing more to say here…  JAVA is full of holes it might seem.

ALL systems, including Apple Mac, Microsoft Windows, Windows Server, Linux, that are running Java may be vulnerable.

Here’s the latest US-CERT Alert for February 20th in its entirety.

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Hash: SHA1

National Cyber Awareness System

US-CERT Alert TA13-051A
Oracle Java Multiple Vulnerabilities

Original release date: February 20, 2013 Last revised: —

Systems Affected

Any system using Oracle Java including

* JDK and JRE 7 Update 13 and earlier
* JDK and JRE 6 Update 39 and earlier
* JDK and JRE 5.0 Update 39 and earlier
* SDK and JRE 1.4.2_41 and earlier

Web browsers using the Java plug-in are at high risk.

Overview

Multiple vulnerabilities in Java could allow an attacker to execute
arbitrary code on a vulnerable system.

Description

The Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory Update for
February 2013 addresses multiple vulnerabilities in the Java
Runtime Environment (JRE). An additional five fixes that had been
previously planned for delivery are in this update. This
distribution therefore completes the content for all originally
planned fixes to be included in the Java SE Critical Patch Update
for February 2013.

Both Java applets delivered via web browsers and stand-alone Java
applications are affected, however web browsers using the Java
plug-in are at particularly high risk.

The Java plug-in, the Java Deployment Toolkit plug-in, and Java Web
Start can be used as attack vectors. An attacker could use social
engineering techniques to entice a user to visit a link to a
website hosting a malicious Java applet. An attacker could also
compromise a legitimate website and upload a malicious Java applet
(a “drive-by download” attack).

Some vulnerabilities affect stand-alone Java applications,
depending on how the Java application functions and how it
processes untrusted data.

Reports indicate that at least one of these vulnerabilities is
being actively exploited.

Impact

By convincing a user to load a malicious Java applet or Java
Network Launching Protocol (JNLP) file, an attacker could execute
arbitrary code on a vulnerable system with the privileges of the
Java plug-in process.

Stand-alone java applications may also be affected.

Solution

Update Java

The Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory Update for
February 2013 states that Java 7 Update 15 and Java 6 Update 41
address these vulnerabilities.

Disable Java in web browsers

These and previous Java vulnerabilities have been widely targeted
by attackers, and new Java vulnerabilities are likely to be
discovered. To defend against this and future Java vulnerabilities,
consider disabling Java in web browsers until adequate updates have
been installed. As with any software, unnecessary features should
be disabled or removed as appropriate for your environment.

Starting with Java 7 Update 10, it is possible to disable Java
content in web browsers through the Java control panel applet. From
Setting the Security Level of the Java Client:

For installations where the highest level of security is required,
it is possible to entirely prevent any Java apps (signed or
unsigned) from running in a browser by de-selecting Enable Java
content in the browser in the Java Control Panel under the Security
tab.

If you are unable to update to at least Java 7 Update 10, please
see the solution section of Vulnerability Note VU#636312 for
instructions on how to disable Java on a per-browser basis.

Restrict access to Java applets

Network administrators unable to disable Java in web browsers may
be able to help mitigate these and other Java vulnerabilities by
restricting access to Java applets using a web proxy. Most web
proxies have features that can be used to block or whitelist
requests for .jar and .class files based on network location.
Filtering requests that contain a Java User-Agent header may also
be effective. For environments where Java is required on the local
intranet, the proxy can be configured to allow access to Java
applets hosted locally, but block access to Java applets on the
internet.

References

* Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory Update – February
2013
<http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/javacpufeb2013update-1905892.html>

* Setting the Security Level of the Java Client
<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/guides/jweb/client-security.html>

* The Security Manager
<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/environment/security.html>

* How to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari
<https://support.apple.com/kb/HT5241>

* How to turn off Java applets
<https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/How%20to%20turn%20off%20Java%20applets>

* NoScript
<http://noscript.net/>

* Securing Your Web Browser
<https://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/securing_browser/#Safari>

* Vulnerability Note VU#636312
<http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/636312#solution>

Revision History

February 20, 2013: Initial release

____________________________________________________________________

Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send
email to <cert@cert.org> with “TA13-051A Feedback ” in
the subject.
____________________________________________________________________

Produced by US-CERT, a government organization.
____________________________________________________________________

This product is provided subject to this Notification:
http://www.us-cert.gov/privacy/notification.html

Privacy & Use policy:
http://www.us-cert.gov/privacy/

This document can also be found at
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA13-051A.html

For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this mailing list, visit http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html
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Apple Macs infected with malware – at Apple Inc

Remember the computer that is impervious to malware, the Apple Mac? Well here’s one for you…

Yesterday, Apple Inc announced that computers within their own network have been exploited.  Mac computers in other companies have also been exploited.

It’s always a heated subject whenever I mention that more and more Apple Macs are becoming compromised. Very passionate people will argue with me until they are blue in the face about how Microsoft Windows machines are more vulnerable, and that their Mac never gets infected. However, I must add this in – as a provider of business computer service and support. We have seen a steady decline in malware on Windows 7 computers, and no infections as of this date on Windows 8. While, Mac issues are increasing.

Here’s a link to the Reuters story.

As always, regardless of whether you own a Windows based computer or a Mac, please take these simple steps at the very least to help insure the security of your computer:

  • Keep your machine’s operating system up to date with patches!
  • Keep all applications, such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader up to date with patches
  • Support applications such as JAVA should be kept up to date (and some feel disabled or uninstalled
  • Use current COMMERCIAL anti-virus which permits the scanning of websites in real time (We suggest Trend Micro)
  • Avoid sketchy websites, don’t open emails (You didn’t win the Microsoft Lotto, trust me)
  • If you feel you have been exposed, seek a professional immediately
  • Watch those public hot spots if using a notebook (man-in-the-middle)
  • Do not give permission for anything to install that you didn’t initiate
  • Go straight to Adobe or other software provider for your updates
  • Don’t initiate a scan for malware if prompted while visiting a website

Should you need assistance with any computer or network security issue for your home or business in the Greenville or Upstate SC area, please do not hesitate to call upon us at 864-990-4748 or use our contact form.