Secure IT Alert: Microsoft Patch Tuesday is Coming – Strap In! Lots of Updates!

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Homeland Secure IT Alert

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Monday, April 11th, 2011

You’ve waited a whole month for this, and Microsoft has not let you down.  Updates galore are ‘a comin’ tomorrow, April 12th, 2011.

The Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification states that this Patch Tuesday will be a big one. A total of 17 fixes, addressing 64 security vulnerabilities are there for your enjoyment and they cover just about everything, from current versions of Microsoft Windows Operating Systems to Microsoft Office and even Microsoft Windows Server PowerPoint web app.

There are  9 critical, 8 important and two which address information disclosure/privilege threats.

One important update is the cumulative fix for the Internet Explorer browser which will address every supported Windows OS and covers IE 6, IE 7 and IE 8.

Microsoft will be sponsoring a webcast on April 13th at 11AM Pacific here: https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032455069&EventCategory=4

Should you have issues or concerns about these updates or any Microsoft Security or Support questions in the Greenville / Upstate, SC area, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

 

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Homeland Secure IT Alert

The Commodore 64 is about to be available (all over again)

I’ve held off on posting about this for a few days since the first mainstream announcements came too close to April Fool’s to suit me…

Yes, it is true, or so we are told, that the Commodore 64 will ride again. You can find out more about the Commodore 64x direct from Commodore USA.

Back in the day, I loved the Commodore systems. I ran my first BBS in 1982 on a Commodore and continued to run one continuously on Commodore based machines until 2004. I still have that Amiga box in my office, and I am considering putting it back online.

So are  YOU going to buy a new Commodore 64?  If so, why? If not, why not?   I’m actually considering it.

Microsoft Office 2010 Click-To-Run Got You Down?

A recurring issue we find is that people are having difficulty in using their Microsoft Office 2010 product to its fullest.

A common complain is that the software needs to download components over and over and that gets annoying. This is due to the fact that you purchased Office 2010 online, or installed it as a trial, then purchased.

To fix this, insure you have your MS Office Product Key, then uninstall Microsoft Office 2010 from your system.  (Control Panel and remove programs). Next, return to where you made the purchase of Microsoft Office and sign in with the same ID you used to make that purchase.

Click the “My Account” link at the top of the page and select “Download” for the Office Suite but do opt to “Download Now”, instead, select “Advanced Options”. From there, select the non Click-to-Run product.

That should put the smile back on your face!   If you need assistance, or would like to purchase Microsoft Office 2010, please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Bogus Intuit QuickBooks Online Warnings Via Email Lead to Infection

Watch out for emails from Intuit and other software and service providers that appear to be legitimate and make sense on the surface…

I was told by one of our friends/clients today that they had become infected after receiving an email from “software@quickbooks.com” which read something like this:

Subject: QuickBooks Update: Urgent

<Official Intuit QuickBooks Online logo here>

You will not be able to access your Intuit QuickBooks account without Intuit Security Tool (IST™) after 10th of April, 2011.

You can download Intuit Security Tool here.

After a successful download please run the setup for an automatic installation, then login to Intuit Quickbooks online to check that it is working properly.

—

Of course, they thought it looked official and followed the link through and actually authorized the installation of a malicious software package onto her computer.

Refuse to be a victim and stop clicking on every link that comes in email!  If you question the authenticity, simply don’t click it!

If you require help in Greenville or Upstate SC, Homeland Secure IT is a phone call away! We provide computer and network security, anti-virus, virus cleanup & removal and computer repair and service.  864.990.4748 or info@homelandsecureit.com

 

What does the Epsilon security breach mean for you?

We’ve been hearing about Epsilon’s security breach for several days now. Some thought it was an April Fool’s joke due to how vague the initial press release release was, but obviously it was no joke at all.

Epsilon has since updated their press release to indicate that this breach affects only 2% of total clients, but what exactly does that mean?

Well, customers of a long and growing list of companies serviced by Epsilon may have had their private information exposed, namely email addresses and names.

This will undoubtedly lead to a slew of emails that APPEAR to be from the companies, addressed to you, explaining you need to update your privacy settings or that your account has been locked due to unauthorized access and that you should login and reset your account.

I personally have received two myself in the last 24hrs from one company on this list from Mashable and also from Best Buy.

The emails contained warnings that my data was at risk, and that I should login immediately and reset my password. One even included a great link to help me out… Which did NOT route to the official site, it instead routed to a domain that didn’t even resemble the official company site.

Yes, your data may have been exposed, and as of now, it appears that only your email address, first and last name, and possibly some other identifying information like a city or state of residence could have been harvested. Certainly no passwords to official sites of companies as Epsilon’s primary purpose is to provide email marketing services, not handle logins to sites.

The biggest threat comes from emails addressed to you that are too attractive for you NOT to click on the links…  Phishing or “Spearphishing” attempts will surely increase in the days to come.

Avoid being scammed into following links through, type in the addresses manually, and use some common sense. A bank is not going to ask you for personal information in email for instance.

If you have a question about an email being legitimate I’m sure it is for good reason.

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Up-to-Date Promotion Valid Through May 31, 2011

Microsoft Office 2010

Microsoft Office 2010

 

Don’t forget about the Microsoft “Up-to-Date” promotion if you are considering upgrading your business to Microsoft Office 2010!

SMB (Small / Medium Business Organizations can receive a savings of 50 percent on the first annual payment on Office Professional Plus 2010 licenses!

To be eligible for this promotion, you must sign a new commercial Open Value Subscription agreement or Open Value Subscription for Government agreement and acquire Office Professional Plus 1010 licenses.

Please insure your Microsoft reseller uses the Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 up-to-date (UTD) license SKU when they place your order so you can receive the savings. The reseller must also submit a signed Open Value Subscription Up-to-Date Discount form.

Act now to get your savings!

Compare Microsoft Office Standard and Microsoft Professional Plus 1010 – both available through Volume Licensing

Homeland Secure IT offers Microsoft sales and licensing to Greenville and Upstate SC businesses, organizations and individuals. Call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for additional information.

 

Don’t forget, TODAY is Internet Cleaning Day – Make sure you are prepared! PSE RT

It’s that time of year again when ISPs (Internet Service Providers)  all around the world perform their yearly maintenance, call it “Spring Cleaning” if you will.If you have been living under a rock and missed the stories on the news and the countless emails flying around for the last week or so, then this may come as a total surprise to you. 

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.

So today, at noon, before you leave your office for lunch, you should take some precautions to protect your electronics and fine furnishings from the chemicals that are blown through the lines. We have found that simply unplugging the CAT-5 cable from the back of your computer and placing it into a trashcan with a liner is best, but you can use an empty water bottle or even a coffee cup in a pinch. If using a coffee cup, or bottle though, you may want to put a layer of newspaper or other papers under it in case of any splashes or spills.

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.

If you are using wireless devices, simply turning off the radio or disconnecting from all access points should work, but to be on the safe side, it never hurts to turn it off completely.

 

Do manufacturers load too much junk on new computers?

Nexlink Express Business ComputerIf you own a smartphone, you know what your cellular provider does to the phone before you get it. With Android based phones, each phone is subjected to a custom install of carrier specific “tools” laid on top of the beautiful Android OS.

Verizon thought you didn’t need the Google browser by default, so they sent you to Bing, and Sprint, they thought navigation would be better handled elsewhere, etc. So you really don’t get a Google Android phone the way Google intended it to be, and in turn, phones run slower, lack the ability to perform certain functions, and it sure makes it difficult to compare a Samsung Galaxy phone on Verizon to one on Sprint or another carrier because they don’t have the same exact install. Most consider them crippled.

You will find a growing number of people have opted to “root” their phones and bypass the garbage, or install a pure Google Android OS on it. Creating phones that run much faster than their stock counterparts.

What about computers? For years, manufacturers of computers have been bundling software with computers. This preinstalled software could add a specific function, allowing you to access features of a notebook that are not supported by the stock Microsoft Windows Operating System, or they could just be junk.

The “junk” ranges from demos of games and applications, to browser search bars and other tools.

It’s easy to see why a manufacturer would bundle a trial of Norton Anti-Virus, because if you register it, they likely get a kickback from Symantec, but, could manufacturers be loading something malicious?

In one article, a man has claimed that Samsung has loaded a keystroke logger on new notebooks… Samsung is denying this, and it is possibly that VIPRE is producing a false positive, but, none-the-less, a cause for concern. Time will tell in this matter.

All these things taken into consideration, it is easy to see why some people buy a new computer and immediately wipe and reload a pure Microsoft Windows operating system.

One reason we love offering computers from Seneca Data, such as the Nexlink series that we offer businesses, is that they do NOT come loaded down with junk. Though, they have in recent years begun to install a tool to allow for easy restore disk creation, a trial of Norton and a pre-load of the Microsoft Office trial, we believe these to actually be tools a new computer needs.  We CAN order them with NO operating system, and we can provide them with our own build of the OS to preimage.

Should you be interested in computer for your business that you are SURE do not come pre-loaded with unwanted software, you might want to give our Seneca Data Nexlink computers a serious look!  Call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information. We offer computer & server sales, service and support to Greenville / Upstate businesses and individuals.

Dell executive claims iPad is unlikely to dominate the enterprise market… Your thoughts?

Dell’s Global Head of Marketing was interviewed by CIO recently and one statement made global headlines, “Apple iPad will fail in the enterprise: Dell“.

He claims that the iPad is too expensive to win in the enterprise market and that other devices may very well beat it out… Of course Dell would like to think that their own will be the “winner” in the tablet wars.

We’re seeing tons of tablets hit the streets, from the beloved Apple iPad and iPad II, to the more cutting edge Android based tablets like the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy series, but still, the businesses we work with are hesitant to embrace the technology, especially the Apple iPad, due to the expense primarily.

Some Microsoft Windows 7 based tablets are actually gaining the interest of our clients, such as those from Motion. These are hardened tablets which charge quickly, offer complete compatibility with existing infrastructure and a proven user interface.

What are your thoughts for tablets for your business? What are you using? What gets you excited?

Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Critical Patch 1417

Trend Micro released Critical Patch 1417 for Worry-Free Business Security last week which includes previous patches and corrects known issues.

Businesses running Trend Micro WFBS should update to insure reliable operation of their anti-virus solution.  For a full list of issues addressed see the Trend Micro download site.

If you require assistance or wish to purchase Trend Micro products in Greenville or the Upstate of SC, please email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748