This afternoon we spent a few hours looking at an old Windows Server 2000 for a local hotel who is having issues…
I forgot just how unfun this Operating System is! It makes us appreciate Windows Server 2008 all the more! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Should you be running Server 2000, take this opportunity to upgrade and enjoy the speed, security and reliability of a Microsoft Server 2008 R2! Just do it… Need some convincing? Call me at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com and we will set up an appointment to talk to you here in Greenville / Upstate, SC!
Windows 7 - 64 Bit
If the time has come to replace or upgrade your aging desktop or laptop computer, you may find yourself looking at offerings from the major manufacturers and wondering if you need to get a 32 bit or 64 bit system now that the price difference is no longer a factor.
At first it seems that a 64 bit computer would be a no-brainer! I mean, it’s “32″ MORE and more is better, right?
Absolutely, a 64 bit machine can address more memory for one thing. Your old 32 bit system has a limitation of 4GB, and Windows 7 on a 64 bit machine will support up to 192GB. Actually, 64 bit machines can address 16 exabytes in theory. Also, a 64 bit system can run more applications at once and take advantage of software such as Microsoft Office 2010 specifically tailored to the 64 bit PC.
Graphics, databases, complex calculations can all benefit from the increased performance.
Servers have used 64 bit Operating Systems for years, why not your desktop?
According to Gartner Inc. research, 75 percent of all business computers will be running 64 bit Windows by 2014… But moving from a 32 bit environment to a 64 bit Microsoft Windows 7 machine could introduce some new issues for you. A number of older printers, plotters, scanners and other devices have no support for 64 bit. Some copiers which offer printing from your PC also may not function.
Do you have a specific PCI card that you use, such as a SCSI interface for scanning or external storage? You could find it is incompatible and need to replace that too.
Your computer service professional should be able to assist you in determining if a move to 64 bit is right for you. If you require assistance with this in Greenville or Upstate, SC, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com
We offer wide selection of business computers from our partner manufacturers HP, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, Seneca Data / NexLink and more!
Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the USA, in case you missed it… Everyone here at Homeland Secure IT and our families have so much to be thankful for that I would have to dedicate an entire blog post to just that… One thing worth mentioning other than the most obvious like the ability to live in the greatest country on the planet, having a roof over our head, a gracious God and healthy families, would be YOU, our friends, family and clients. You make it a joy to open our eyes in the morning and greet another beautiful day!
Today is “Black Friday” and by now you are probably home, safe and dry… 
I hope everyone enjoyed their shopping experience and found everything they had on their Christmas list at deep discounts too good to be true!
From reading advertisements & news articles, retailers continued the trend of luring people in with the promise of a Sony Notebook Computer bundle for $199, a ViewSonic 24″ monitor for $99, an HP all-in-one wireless printer for $49.99, best selling video games for $9.99, 2TB hard drives for $49, 16GB flash drive for $4.99, Microsoft Office Home and Student for $79 with 3 user license, etc.
However, only a few lucky people serious shoppers received those deals… In the fine print of those ads, there is generally written “1 available”, and everyone was rushing in at the store’s opening and staking out their territory to be the one person to get the deal of the year. Sometimes there are a dozen available, but when we are talking about a popular item, chances are slim, unless you are a pro at shopping, that you will be the one in the front of the line.
I read sad tweets this morning from people saying they got up early to get the gadget they wanted and it wasn’t there. Many bought something similar that was on sale at a discounted price, which is exactly what the merchant was counting on!
Don’t get me wrong, I am sure there were some outstanding sale items and prices! I’m sure many of you did get something at a greatly reduced cost and only spent an hour or two doing it. Still, the crowds, the unlikely chance that I will personally be the one to get my hands on the brass ring and the fact I have to get up at 3AM or earlier (or stay up) keeps me out of the stores on Black Friday here in Greenville / Upstate, SC.
Which brings us to “Cyber Monday”. This is more my speed. I can shop from the comfort of my home (or office, but shhhhh, don’t tell anyone), and the only inconvenience I have to suffer is laggy internet due to everyone else doing the same thing.
I’m seeing spectacular deals that await us this coming Monday, and many Etailers are offering their discounts all weekend long.
Sure, there are those certain products that big online retailers will be selling with limited quantities, or “50 at this price”, but I think I can live with that, easier than seeing my neighbor climb over someone with murder in their eyes to grab the last widget on the shelf.
When scouring the web for these great deals, be careful if you are Googling for a product, say a “Nikon d7000 dSLR camera”, and find it at a price too good to be true from a place you have never heard of. Chances are, it IS too good to be true. Also, be aware that scammers have been waiting for this moment, and they have created sponsored (Ad Word) ads and even got their own websites up in the rankings for specific keywords. These sites look legit when you are searching, they may even have a URL that looks like it “bestbuy.com”, but it is not, and takes you to a malicious site, promising 100 dollar notebook computers, just install this driver or player. Don’t fall for it.
Now get out there and buy something! Help our economy by spending a lot and have a happy & safe holiday shopping season!
Don't buy it - Microsoft is not going to call you and offer to help!
Today has been interesting… I received an email from a long-time friend saying he had the strangest phone call, from MICROSOFT… They informed him that his system was vulnerable and that they wanted to help him fix it if he would give them access to his system by visiting a website.
This guy was born at night, but he wasn’t born last night, so he questioned it, and when he did so, they hung up on him as expected.
It seems a once popular old scam has returned from the grave. In fact, a quick Google search just now turned up this showing that it is happening elsewhere, not just here.
With that said, please keep in mind, Microsoft is NEVER going to to call you and offer to help fix your computer security issues. That is like thinking the US Government is going to call you up and offer to fix your financial woes.
This is called “Social Engineering” and it has been around for as long as people could reach out and touch someone. In the *old* days, a person would call their mark on the phone and tell them they were with Ma Bell and that they were updating their records. Then they would give them a little information about them, such as “We have your phone number as 555-1212, and your name is Joe Schmoe, we are setting up security measures so we can insure your privacy, can you please give me your mother’s maiden name? Now how about your social security number so we can identify you when you call us in the future?”. Sure enough, if the person on the other end of the phone sounded official, the mark would give them anything they wanted.
This only works on people who are trusting. So here is your warning to question things that come to you with no reason. Question that strange phone call asking for more information about you, question why you should open a particular link that a ‘friend’ sends you in email, question why you might need to install a codec, player or driver when visiting a website, and for goodness sakes, question why Microsoft might call you up wanting to help.
If you have fallen for this type of scam, please contact a computer service professional and have them thoroughly checkout your machine for rootkits, keystroke loggers, and other forms of malware. For more information you can email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748 in the Greenville / Upstate area.
Have a very happy Thanksgiving, we ALL have so much to be thankful for!
DON'T Dial 911! Dial 990-4748
Nobody expects an emergency to happen to them, but it is nice to know that when you do need assistance, you can pick up your phone and dial 9-1-1 and a dispatcher will arrange for the appropriate response.
What do you do for your IT network when an emergency arises and you do not have in-house IT support? If you have an IT professional or company who maintains your infrastructure, you likely have their contact information programed into your phone, know it off the top of your head, or at least have their business card. If you do rely on the computer to access that information, in a time of crises you may be unable to open your address book, so having a hard copy of important names and numbers is always a good idea.
If you don’t already have a company you rely on for business computer repair, service or support, you might find that during an actual crisis, you will have difficulty even locating one because of a lack of internet connectivity, leaving you cut off from Google or your favorite search engine, and who has an actual phone book handy anymore?
Remember the Boy Scout motto? ”Be Prepared”… Now is the time to do some research and find a service provider who can meet your day-to-day needs and rescue you during critical outages. Call around, talk to some computer service companies and write the contact names and numbers down! Ask what their response times are, and if they charge an “emergency response” fee (some companies charge a 2 hour minimum for rapid response, while others may charge a higher per-hour rate).
Many companies will offer you a free consultation, take advantage of that to learn more about them, and allow them to learn more about your company and network.
Ultimately, who you choose should make you feel comfortable with their personality, level of expertise, and be willing to give you references. They should give you an idea of how long it takes them to respond if your server goes down. Better companies will give you after-hours numbers or even personal cell phone numbers. (Almost all companies charge extra for after-hours or holiday response, be sure to ask what their policy is).
Homeland Secure IT offers computer & server service to Greenville, Anderson, Simpsonville, Clemson, Duncan, Taylors, Travelers Rest, Spartanburg and the rest of the Upstate. We do not charge additional fees for emergency calls. We do not charge based on the technology, you get the same rate no matter if it is a standard computer, Microsoft Exchange Server or VoIP system. We also do not charge a fuel surcharge, travel time or mileage at all within the Upstate.
Please print out or write down our number, you can put it right next to the “In case of emergency, dial 9-1-1″ sticker on your phone: 864-990-4748
Our daughter has been involved in the Furman Pre-College Music Program for the last 8 years. Every year they have two recitals, a spring solo, and a fall duet.
Friday marked Megan’s final duet, as she is now preparing to leave this program and attend Converse College next year. She will have one more solo recital and the option of doing a senior recital.
Just a few more days and our daughter turns 18, and a few more months and she leaves us to begin her own life. Wow, sad for us, exciting for her!
Pachelbel “Canon in D Major”
Homeland Secure IT Alert
Homeland Secure IT Alert for Friday, November 19, 2010
This week, Adobe released additional updates that cover Adobe Reader, Acrobat and Flash Player… The existing bulletin published on October 28th was updated to cover the changes…
I have attached the updated security bulletin below, but in short, if you are using Adobe products, it is important that you apply these updates. The affected platforms are Microsoft Windows & Microsoft Windows Server, Macintosh OS X, UNIX, Solaris, and as well as Android!
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Security Advisory for Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader and Acrobat
Release date: October 28, 2010
Last updated: November 16, 2010
Vulnerability identifier: APSA10-05
CVE number: CVE-2010-3654
Platform: All Platforms
SUMMARY
A critical vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris operating systems; Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.2 and earlier versions for Android; and the authplay.dll component that ships with Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX operating systems, and Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh operating systems.
This vulnerability (CVE-2010-3654) could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. There are reports that this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild against Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x. Adobe is not currently aware of attacks targeting Adobe Flash Player.
Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Solaris update to Adobe Flash Player 10.1.102.64. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.1 for Android update to Adobe Flash Player 10.1.105.6. For More information, please refer to Security Bulletin APSB10-26.
Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Reader 9.4.1, available now. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier versions for UNIX update to Adobe Reader 9.4.1, expected to be available on November 30, 2010. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Acrobat 9.4.1. For more information, please refer to Security Bulletin APSB10-28.
AFFECTED SOFTWARE VERSIONS
- Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris operating systems
- Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.2 and earlier for Android
- Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX*
- Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh*
*Note: Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x are confirmed not vulnerable. Adobe Reader for Android is not affected by this issue.
SEVERITY RATING
Adobe categorizes this as a critical issue.
DETAILS
A critical vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris operating systems; Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.2 and earlier versions for Android; and the authplay.dll component that ships with Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX operating systems, and Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh operating systems.
This vulnerability (CVE-2010-3654) could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. There are reports that this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild against Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x. Adobe is not currently aware of attacks targeting Adobe Flash Player.
Note: Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x are confirmed not vulnerable. Mitigation is available for Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x customers as detailed above. Adobe Reader for Android is not affected by this issue.
Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Solaris update to Adobe Flash Player 10.1.102.64. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.1 for Android update to Adobe Flash Player 10.1.105.6. For More information, please refer to Security Bulletin APSB10-26.
Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Reader 9.4.1, available now. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier versions for UNIX update to Adobe Reader 9.4.1, expected to be available on November 30, 2010. Adobe recommends users of Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Acrobat 9.4.1. For more information, please refer to Security Bulletin APSB10-28.
Users may monitor the latest information on the Adobe Product Security Incident Response Team blog at the following URL:http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt or by subscribing to the RSS feed here: http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/atom.xml.
Adobe actively shares information about this and other vulnerabilities with partners in the security community to enable them to quickly develop detection and quarantine methods to protect users until a patch is available. As always, Adobe recommends that users follow security best practices by keeping their anti-malware software and definitions up to date.
DETAILS
November 16, 2010 – Updated with information on the Adobe Reader and Acrobat updates.
November 9, 2010 – Updated with information on the Flash Player for Android update.
November 4, 2010 – Updated with information on Security Bulletin APSB10-26.
November 2, 2010 – Updated information on the release schedule.
October 28, 2010 – Advisory released.
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If you require any assistance with these or any other updates, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We provide full computer and network service, support, repair and consultation to the Greenville / Upstate SC region!
Homeland Secure IT Alert
An article from the Associated Press published on news.yahoo.com on Wednesday outlines the threat that the Stuxnet virus poses to industry around the world.
The malicious computer attack appears to primarily target the Iranian nuclear plants, but according to the article, it can be modified to interfere with industrial control systems around the world, and “represents the most dire cyberthreat known to industry”, according to government officials and experts.
Of course government will not be of help, even though Senator Joe Leiberman says that legislation on the matter will be a “top priority” AFTER lawmakers return in January.
This means it is up to businesses to do everything they can to protect their networks from Stuxnet and its variants as well as the plethora of other malicious software aimed at wreaking havok on society.
What can you do to protect your computer network infrastructure? I’m glad you asked! What follows is a rough outline of some actions you can take to prevent malware from infiltrating your network…
- Whatever physical network firewall you are using should be current, not an end-of-life unit. If you are using anything older than 5 years, chances are good, even with the latest firmware updates, it is of little protection. Consider using a newer product, from a reputable manufacturer such as Cisco, WatchGuard, SonicWall, Jupiter, and make sure it has all the latest updates on it. If you have questions, your network support specialists can help.
- If your firewall features IDS (Intrusion Detection), use it. Watch logs, look for active attempts by people to get into your network.
- Never going to do business outside the USA? Don’t require email from various countries? You could lock down your firewall to block traffic from some “hot spots”, such as China, Russia, the Middle East, etc.
- Lock down unused services (Not using FTP on your servers? Block the port, disable the service)
- Don’t forget about those servers on your network which are not accessible from the outside world, many times a workstation is exploited and a “bad guy” uses that workstation to gain access to other servers to run their own applications on. If you don’t access these machines often, activity could go unnoticed, for weeks, months and longer!
- Insure all computers are up to date with the Operating System patches, regardless if they are Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, linux, etc. Implement a patch management system.
- Insure all applications have the latest patches and updates applied. (Especially Adobe products and JAVA).
- Leave behind OLD, unsupported, insecure applications, plugins, extensions, and operating systems. If it is unsupported, how will vulnerabilities be addressed? Security through obscurity probably is not a good idea.
- Anti-Virus is not an option! Thinking that a free anti-virus is “better than nothing”? Remember the old adage, “You get what you pay for”. Do you really want to take a chance with your security? We recommend quality anti-virus from Trend Micro, or at least Symantec or McAfee. Thinking your Mac is not vulnerable is a fantasy.
- Browsing – stop it! If you have users on your network who spend their day browsing sites randomly, you may want to consider putting a policy in place to limit the types of sites they use, or at least use web filtering / web reputation (such as is offered in Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security) to help protect you from known bad sites. Trend Micro WFBS allows you to specify types of sites, such as “social media”, “news”, “alternative lifestyle”, “adult”, and more that you may want to prohibit users from visiting.
- Email filtering is a must, not only can it keep out unwanted & unsolicited email (SPAM!), it can block harmful links and attachments. Again, Trend Micro WFBS Advanced is a great solution for your small and medium business.
This list is by no means a complete checklist, but it will help you get started in analyzing your needs. If you have questions, you may wish to enlist the assistance of a qualified network support specialist. We can help with that and all your computer repair & service needs as well as sales of Trend Micro, Cisco, WatchGuard, SonicWall, Symantec and other products here in Greenville and Upstate of SC. Call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information or a free consultation!
Be safe out there!
This young man created a great video that illustrates the difficulties of typical notebook computer service; removing too many panels, parts, screws all to get to a component for replacement, repair or cleaning. In this case, he just wants to “clean the fan”.
Sure it is funny to watch, but honestly, some of these notebooks make it very difficult to do required maintenance or repair. Sadly, Apple Mac notebooks (and computers too) are no easier to deal with, so if you watch this and think, “Time to buy a Mac”, be forewarned, you may find yourself making appointments for service or waiting in queue for hours at an Apple Mac store (Just yesterday a new customer of ours told me about a 6 hour wait for Mac service)… And in many cases, you can forget about servicing it yourself because if parts are needed it could take days to get in as most local computer shops have very limited Mac part inventory as they are very expensive! (Try 200 bucks for a G4 tower power supply and a difficult process to replace it versus <70 for a typical PC and much less time).
Anyway, watch this guy’s video, follow it through to YouTube and LIKE it or comment as he is more than deserving!
If you require notebook computer repair in the Greenville or Upstate area, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We support Apple Mac as well as Microsoft Windows based laptops and computers!
Say "no" to stacks of CDs
If you are using CDs, DVDs, flash drives, external hard drives, or other physical media to backup your notebook computer, you are doing 100% more to protect your data than the majority of all PC owners!
However, you are also spending time connecting devices or inserting backup media and likely are manually starting the backup, leaving lots of room for missed backups. If you are using an external USB hard drive, you may be using the included software to automatically backup to that media when you have it plugged in, which could make for gaps of days, weeks, months, or who knows, even longer between backups.
Those of you who want to insure your data is backed up, automatically, without interaction from you at all, should consider an online or remote backup solution. These are ideal for a mobile computer, whether it is an Apple Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows or even a Linux based system! All you do is establish an account, install the software, configure the software for a time frame for running and you are done. “Set it and forget it” as they say.
When you have your computer turned on and connected to the internet, the data is uploaded to the remote server automatically and you get an email that lets you know that it completed correctly or that a backup was missed. You can see the backup details, you can set the backup to be “continuous” where your files are synced as they change, etc.
Your data is stored remotely on encrypted and secure servers. You can access a single file or restore an entire folder via the application or a handy web interface!
Here at Homeland Secure IT, we use, recommend and offer a free trial of Servosity Online Backup. Servosity is a locally owned and operated business here in Greenville, SC whom we are proud to partner with to bring our clients a rock solid, dependable and affordable backup solution. Servosity works with desktops, laptops, server (including Microsoft Exchange, SQL, and more!) and as mentioned previously, multiple operating systems from Windows to Apple Mac, to Linux, etc.
Free Servosity Online Backup Trial! Click Here...
If you would like more information about how Servosity Online Backup can help you or your business, or you would like a FREE TRIAL of the service, please email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748. We offer a full range of backup solutions, both physical onsite and remote. Don’t go another day without KNOWING your data is protected!
