Stranger lurks behind our office
I was reminded just how useful cameras can be after watching a segment on the news this morning where a young lady was using an inexpensive app on her iPhone that allowed her to check in on her dog by viewing the camera on her PC. She just happened to catch a burglar in the process! More on that HERE.
That story had a pretty happy ending. Through the use of the video captured, the police were able to apprehend the suspect, though I didn’t hear whether her iPod and chargers were recovered. If they have the right guy, thanks to a 5 dollar iPhone app, she helped get one more bad guy off the street.
Over the weekend here at our office, I received emails from our digital network video recorder (DVR / NVR) which alerted me to motion taking place around our building. Police cruisers driving behind the building are not uncommon, but the fella to the right who changed clothes, washed stuff off his boots and hands and left his clothing behind was pretty sketchy.
Thanks to the full motion recordings, we are able to offer law enforcement high quality photo stills and video, complete with time stamps, from several angles and cameras. (We have about 13 cameras around our office).
This type of protection is available for your home and office for an amazingly small investment. We have CCTV and network camera systems to fit every possible scenario and budget. From a single camera at your home, to 4, 8 or 16 at a small business, or even dozens of cameras with pan, tilt and zoom capability at your corporate office. We have cameras available that see in complete darkness, and even cameras that are so small you can’t see them (or may be disguised as a smoke detector, sprinkler head, exit sign, etc).
You can view the cameras in real-time from your iPhone, Android or even Blackberry smartphone, or any web browser, from anywhere in the world! You can be alerted when motion occurs in a particular area via an email. Recordings can be accessed days, weeks or even months after an event occurs.
For a free consultation about how security cameras can help protect your Greenville / Upstate SC property, loved ones, and even reduce your insurance costs, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.
An advisory from Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2488013.mspx) released today that reveals a new potentially dangerous vulnerability in Internet Explorer….
Here is an excerpt from that site:
Microsoft Security Advisory (2488013)
Vulnerability in Internet Explorer Could Allow Remote Code Execution
Version: 1.1
General Information
Executive Summary
Microsoft is investigating new, public reports of targeted attacks attempting to exploit a vulnerability in all supported versions of Internet Explorer. The main impact of the vulnerability is remote code execution. This advisory contains workarounds and mitigations for this issue.
The vulnerability exists due to the creation of uninitialized memory during a CSS function within Internet Explorer. It is possible under certain conditions for the memory to be leveraged by an attacker using a specially crafted Web page to gain remote code execution.
On completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to protect our customers, which may include providing a solution through our monthly security update release process, or an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.
We are actively working with partners in our Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) and our Microsoft Security Response Alliance (MSRA) programs to provide information that they can use to provide broader protections to customers. In addition, we are actively working with partners to monitor the threat landscape and take action against malicious sites that attempt to exploit this vulnerability.
Microsoft continues to encourage customers to follow the “Protect Your Computer” guidance of enabling a firewall, applying all software updates and installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Additional information can be found at Security at home.
Mitigating Factors:
| • | Protected Mode in Internet Explorer on Windows Vista and later Windows operating systems helps to limit the impact of currently known exploits. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability would have very limited rights on the system. |
| • | By default, Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 runs in a restricted mode that is known as Enhanced Security Configuration. This mode sets the security level for the Internet zone to High. This is a mitigating factor for Web sites that you have not added to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone. See also Managing Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration. |
| • | By default, all supported versions of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, and Windows Mail open HTML e-mail messages in the Restricted sites zone, which disables script and ActiveX controls, reducing the risk of an attacker being able to use this vulnerability to execute malicious code. If a user clicks a link in an e-mail message, the user could still be vulnerable to exploitation of this vulnerability through the Web-based attack scenario. |
| • | An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less affected than users who operate with administrative user rights. |
| • | In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker’s Web site. |
This SHOULD be the last security advisory for the rest of the year!!! Happy New Year!
Homeland Secure IT Alert
Homeland Secure IT Alert
Everyone else has been making their predictions for the coming year, so I thought I might do the same…
These predictions are based upon industry news, social media and blog rambling as well as some personal wishes.
Will any of it come to fruition? I guess at the end of 2011 you can remind me how wrong I was.
A few IT Predictions for 2011:
- Google Android based devices will continue to dominate the market in smartphones, pads, and everything else from alarm clocks and personal weather stations to set top boxes.
- Wireless carriers will discover that loading their own “value added” bundled software on top of the phones they sell is really a turn off and that keeping the smartphone just as the manufacturer and OS provider intended it to be will enable a faster rollout of updates and make for happier customers.
- Dish, DirecTV & cable TV providers have a fight on their hands… Services like Netflix and a whole slew of streaming providers will fight to bring first run movies, and streaming of networks via the internet. We will see many new set top boxes, TVs with built-in streaming capability. The most exciting thing will be an the legal battles around this, not really the technology itself.
- Tablet and pad wars will continue. Apple’s iPad II will provide some stiff competition for the Android pads, but be prepared for Android based pads to spring up everywhere as more are cleared for import to the USA.
- Internet Tax? Yep, 2011 is the year. So much revenue is being lost that I predict we will see taxes placed on our online purchases. I believe it will be both good and bad. Some online retailers may no longer be able to beat out the local brick and mortar prices, so that could be good for us smaller guys, but it may slow down the injection of money into the economy. Either way, it’s coming.
- Cloud Computing: Over half of all businesses will look into using cloud based services, whether it is online storage, online backup, online applications like Microsoft BPOS or Google Apps, hosted anti-virus, hosted anti-spam or even hosted VoIP solutions. Of these, 10% will actually make the switch, and half who do make the switch will be totally happy, with the other dissatisfied due to bandwidth or network reliabilty. The number of fully satisfied people will go up as the technology matures.
- Malicious software will affect more Macs and Linux based machines in 2011. We’ve already seen a sharp increase in the number of exploited machines, expect this trend to continue. Add to this smartphones as a target.
- Network Connectivity: Charter Business has just come out with a 75×5 meg Pro75 package. This is great, but I expect this to reach 100×10 by the end of 2011, possibly as a free upgrade like they upgraded the 20meg to 30meg…
What do you think the very near future has in store for us? More solid state storage devices? Hard Drives reaching 5TB?
Either way, we hope you have a very Happy New Year!
Yes, I keep beating this horse, but not a week goes by that we are not reminded how important backups are for businesses and individuals!
Happy New Year 2011
This week, a gentleman sent us his Lexar 16 GB memory stick, which had been purchased in order to backup his data to it. Normally I would be cheering for this, but, apparently this memory stick actually became his main storage location and there was no backup of the data on his hard drive or other media.
As you have probably guessed, this story does not have a happy ending. The memory stick has malfunctioned and no data can be read off of it. It is a hardware issue, and the memory stick is damaged and overheating.
So, what could this gentleman have done to protect himself? He could have had more than one copy of his data. Storing it on one memory stick is the equivalent to putting all your eggs in one basket. (Or all your investments in one company).
A simple solution would have been to have kept the data on his computer, then copied it regularly to the flash drive, or multiple flash drives, external USB hard drives, or even DVD media.
A more elegant solution would be to use an online backup service like our Servosity offering. Servosity is a fully automated application that runs during a particular time window to upload files from your desktop or notebook computer, and/or your company server. The storage is in-the-cloud (located on remote servers), completely encrypted, so you have no need to worry about the security of the data.
You get a daily email that explains that your data was indeed backed up and you don’t have to give it another thought. In the event you delete a file, or lose a folder, or something becomes corrupted on your end, you can log into a web based interface and download the data, or you can even restore an entire drive.
Servosity Online Backup is the primary cloud computing backup solution that we use here and highly recommend to all of our customers. It works on Microsoft Windows desktop & notebook operating systems, Apple Mac OS X desktops and laptops, Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange Mail Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Linux/Unix/*nix, Solaris and more!
With offerings like Servosity there is really no excuse for not backing up, so we are offering a free 30 day trial to give you a chance to check it out!
If you would like more information about Servosity or physical backup solutions like LTO & DAT tape, RDX (Removable Disk Storage), tape autoloaders, NAS or SAN solutions, Symantec Backup Exec, or continuous backup systems, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We offer complete sales, service & consultation in Greenville and Upstate SC!
Click here to check out our free Servosity Online Backup trial!
Time to replace some computers at your company? We have a great deal for you on a high quality business computer for only $599.oo through December 30th.
Please do not confuse these with consumer grade computers available at office supply stores and big box stores. Nexlink Express 1000 computers are designed with business in mind. Featuring Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Intel motherboard, Intel processor and a 1 year warranty. We can upgrade the warranty to a 3 year warranty if required for a few extra dollars.
Seneca Data manufacturers these computers right here in the USA, and should support be required, you speak with technicians who are also here in the USA!
- Intel Dual-Core E5700 @ 3.0 Ghz
- Intel D41WV Mainboard
- 2 GB DDR3 1333 Mhz RAM
- 22x SATA DVD-RW
- 250 GB 7200RPM SATA-II
- 80 Plus 350 Watt Power Supply
- Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
- Nexlink USB Keyboard, USB Optical Mouse
- 1 Year Depot Warranty (3 year warranty is available)
- Energy Star 5.0 Compliant
$599.oo
Add Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business for only $149.oo!
If you would like more information about this special, or have any questions related to business computers, please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.
Sorry, but this special is only valid in Greenville and the Upstate of SC and expires December 30th.
Looking for a quality notebook at an affordable price? The Nexlink 4000SP series notebook which I have written about before is available in a model more suited to the home or mobile business user at a great price of only 599.oo.
4000SP Notebook from Nexlink
This version features a 15.6″ LCD display, Intel Pentium P6100 2.0 Ghz 3MB processor, 2GB of RAM, 160GB HD, 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless network, and Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. It also has a 1 year warranty which covers the LCD and AC Port (1 instance).
Why would you buy the Nexlink product over brand X? The quality is outstanding, the customer support, should you need it, from the AMERICAN manufacturer is unparalleled (you actually speak to someone in the USA, who speaks English as their primary language!), and the customer satisfaction has been much higher than with many other brands!
A docking station is a suggested option which allows you to connect a keyboard, mouse, larger LCD display, etc to the docking station, and drop your notebook into that station when at home, and then grab just the notebook and slip that into your travel bag without plugging and unplugging lots of accessories.
If you would like more information about this 4000SP designed with the home or mobile business user in mind, or one decked out specifically for your business use with an Intel i7 processor and Microsoft Windows 7 Professional for instance, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.
This offer is available for a limited time, and quantities are limited. We cannot ship this item out of the Greenville / Upstate SC area.
Our Gift To You - Affordable Service
Computer running slow? It could have a virus…. WE CAN HELP!
Bring your workstation or notebook to our office at 104 Mauldin Rd, STE E in Greenville where we will give you super-fast service and not charge you an arm and a leg!
Our typical virus removal / cleanup takes about an hour and our current rate is $75/hr in our office. This covers Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X and even *nix. We don’t just “wipe and reload”, causing you to lose your settings and require you to reload all your applications. We strive to clean the computer first, removing the malicious software and insuring you safe and secure.
We also offer complete computer, server & network service, repair, support and sales to businesses and individuals in the Upstate. We will go to your location in Greenville, Anderson, Simpsonville, Spartanburg, Taylors, Duncan, Greer, Easley, Clemson, Pickens, etc, but this special is for service performed in our Greenville office only.
Call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information about this ongoing special.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Ever download an app for your phone and see all the access you are giving the thing? You wonder why a certain app would need access to your camera or your location, but you go ahead and install it anyway because you want the latest version of the program.
I’ve done it myself, installed some game, which states clearly that it will have access to totally unrelated areas of the phone, like the camera, or the GPS.
Well, an article in the Wall Street Journal the other day highlights how the information gathered by these apps is being used. It appears that this behavior is more rampant on the iPhone than on Androids, but the study is not as indepth as it could be for sure.
All I have to say is, whether you are using an Android or an iPhone, be careful out there. You don’t want your phone watching your every move…
This sure isn't DSL!
Tired of waiting for that ISO to download? I know the feeling, even with the 30megabit download speeds we currently have…
As if they were reading our minds regarding speed limitations, our Charter Business rep let us know the other day that they have turned it up a notch here in Greenville and are offering two new speed packages.
The “Pro40″ package is 40 megabit down and 4 megabit up… YIKES! 40m x 4m is incredible! 4 megabit up is nearly twice what we have now and an extra 10 megabit down will make those big ISOs arrive a bit quicker. Oh but that’s nothing at all. Seriously.
There’s a “Pro75″ package, yeah, and you already guessed it: 75 megabit down and 5 megabit up. Holy #&!% this is amazing!!!!!!! All I want for Christmas is 75×5.
While it is not Google Fiber, it is available right now, without a huge outlay of cash. In fact, the 75×5 is less than the cost of a 1.5m up/down T1.
This type of bandwidth is necessary if you are contemplating a move towards cloud computing, and the uplink speeds will allow you to better serve remote users!
If you would like more information about Charter Business services and how it can help your business, please give us or your Charter Business rep a call. Our free network support evaluation will tell you if your current firewall, router, switch, etc may be a bottleneck in your new high-speed network infrastructure. We are also your Upstate experts on cutovers from one internet service provider to another. Call us today – 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com
As 2010 draws to a close, I have been looking back over the service that Homeland Secure IT has performed and talking with other computer service techs about the work that has come through our doors and not at all surprising is the fact that malware / virus removal & cleanup was one of the most common types of issues tackled.
Not at all an exhaustive study in this, but here’s what the typical notebook and laptop (end user) PC repair and maintenance looks like:
A full 20% of our end user (business and home computer and notebook) service has comprised of something related to malware, viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, rootkits, etc… Whether it was cleaning a machine which was infected, or installing anti-virus to help protect it, a lot of time (and client money!) was invested into this area.
The only other area of computer service that came close was the setup and deployment of new desktop workstations, notebooks, laptops, etc.
What does that tell us? It tells us too many people are running inadequate anti-virus and anti-malware, on unpatched computers.
We can’t remember any of these infections occuring on Microsoft Windows 7 machines, and not a single client with Windows 7 running Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security or Titanium! The majority of them were running Windows XP.
I guess that means if everyone with XP would switch over to a Windows 7 based machine with Trend Micro Anti-Virus, we would lose some revenue, but I think we can live with that! One thing is for sure: Mac and Linux owners better start keeping their systems up to date and get some anti-virus loaded, as they have already overtaken the latest versions of Windows as far as the rate of infections are going!
If you feel your computer may be compromised (signs are strange behaviors, unexpected windows opening, getting a strange website instead of a familiar one, machine running slower than normal, blue screens, lockups, reboots, etc), please give us a call at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We provide complete computer repair, service and support in the Greenville / Upstate SC area.
