Microsoft has released Volume 11 of their “Microsoft Security Intelligence Report” or SIRv11, which provides “An in-depth perspective on software vulnerabilities and exploits, malicious code threats, and potentially unwanted software in the first half of 2011″.
One tidbit of interesting information contained in the report is that in the first half of 2011, less than one percent of exploits were against zero-day vulnerabilities and 99 percent of all attacks during the same period distributed malware through familiar techniques like social engineering and unpatched vulnerabilities.
I encourage you to read it in its electronic format as it is 168 pages of eye-glazing information, and we wouldn’t want to kill a tree for it.
You can find the full report and further information at: http://www.microsoft.com/sir
In what is becoming way too common, the popular site, mysql.com was exploited, and used to distribute malware by redirecting visitors to another site this week.
Anyone browsing to mysql.com yesterday would have been redirected, and without even being prompted, then likely been exploited themselves by the software running on the rogue website which apparently looked for vulnerable browser plugins to use for an injection point.
Trend Micro’s smart web filtering may have caught this and stopped it, but one thing is for sure… Doing everything you can to protect yourself from this type of exploit is more important than ever.
You should always insure you are running up-to-date and mainstream/quality anti-virus software (Such as Trend Micro), and also keep your operating system (whether Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X or even linux), browser, and all support software such as Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader and JAVA, as well as Microsoft Office fully updated!
Another thing you should consider is backups! With the cost of USB hard drives at an all time low, and online backup (Like our Servosity offering) being an easy install, configuration and affordable, there is no excuse to not have backups.
Should you need assistance in the Greenville / Upstate SC area determining what you or your business needs, please contact us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We provide sales of Trend Micro, Symantect & McAfee anti-virus protection, virus cleanup & removal, and can handle your computer service & computer repair tasks!
This may come as no surprise to those who have been around computer security for a while, but the BIOS viruses are making a comeback!
One of the first made its debut back in 1999 and was known as “CIH”. But Symantec is reporting a new killer on the block called “Trojan.Mebromi” that affects the Award BIOS and seizes control of a system even before you get to the MBR (Master Boot Record).
Expect this trend to continue….
Read more about it here:
http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/bios-threat-showing-again
As always, please insure your systems are using the latest anti-virus (We suggest and sell Trend Micro products such as the amazing Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security), that all updates are applied to your Microsoft Windows operating systems, all applications and support programs from Microsoft Office, to Adobe Reader, Flash and JAVA are at the latest patch levels. Obtain a quality firewall, and use common sense! And don’t forget to BACKUP!
If you suspect your system may be infected, or want to know how to better protect your computer or an entire business full of computers and servers, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We offer virus removal and cleanup in the Greenville / Upstate, SC area.
We provide sales, licensing, installation and support for Trend Micro and Symantec products. We can sell you one seat, or protect your business with 1000 users!
I’m going to just post this link….. I leave it up to you to read it, or not. Believe it, or not.
http://gizmodo.com/5803498/apple-to-customer-service-dont-help-our-customers-with-malware
There is a further link from that page: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/apple-to-support-reps-do-not-attempt-to-remove-malware/3362
If you happen to feel your Mac is infected – seek a professional computer service provider’s input.
It will come as no surprise that anything newsworthy results in the creators of malware intensifying their efforts to spread their malicious code. The demise of Usama Bin Laden in no exception as various attempts to entice people to follow links through are being reported all over the place. I have seen 3 people I follow on social media who were posting malicious links already.
As always, if you see a link such as “See Bin Ladens last moments” on someone’s Facebook profile, don’t click it, it is likely not something you want.
Using a reliable and trusted anti-virus with web filtering capabilities, keeping your computer operating system up to date, as well as all supporting applications such as Java, Microsoft Office, Adobe products, etc is always a great idea. We recommend and offer Trend Micro for anti-virus for either your personal desktops or for your entire business network security! We also offer complete computer security, repair, support and sales in the Greenville & Upstate SC Area.
If you would like additional information, please contact us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com
While we are on the subject of Bin Laden, let me take a moment to thank our military and everyone involved in the events of the last 24hrs. I think we may all sleep a little better at night….
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
Today, while talking with a client, I was reminded how different Homeland Secure IT is from some of the other PC service companies.
This client told me how much money she had spent at one repair facility and her problem was not taken care of at all. She initially took her computer in for a diagnoses of an issue, which she was charged 100 dollars for and told they would credit her 25% of that amount if she proceeded with the computer repairs they quoted at 150 dollars (so now we are talking about $75 + $150). She went for it and a week later had her computer back. Unfortunately, the problem came back quickly.
She lived with the problem for a few days until the computer was no longer functional and took it back to the place that had just charged her $225 plus tax, and sold her an anti-virus program. They cleaned the virus / malware off the computer again, and discounted the new repairs to only $75. ($300 invested in service alone, and a week and a half downtime).
Guess what? The problem came back!!!! Obviously, the anti-virus program was not working correctly, or there were deeper issues. Again she went to the computer service place and they wanted to wipe and reload the computer, and quoted her $150 to back it up, wipe/reload, update it, install software and restore her data. That’s not too bad, except for the fact she had invested quite a bit of money already!)
I guess we are a little different here. We don’t charge an evaluation fee at all. If we should happen to miss something and a computer goes out the door only to be reinfected, we would not normally charge additional fees (unless the client insisted on installing Limewire / torrent and other p2p apps, basically opening themselves up to all kinds of computer and network security issues)…
If you suspect you may have a virus, trojan, rootkit, or malware in general on your computer, let us help you – we have fast turn-around, fair prices, and we want you to be totally satisfied! We will go to your Greenville / Upstate business, or you can bring your workstation to us and take advantage of a reduced labor rate! Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Server, or even Mac OS-X, we’re here for you.
864.990.4748 or info@homelandsecureit.com for more information.
If you have a computer nightmare of your own, we would love to hear it… Click that comments section and tell us all about it!
Cisco, internationally known for manufacturing cutting edge security, telephony, connectivity, video and storage solutions has bestowed upon Homeland Secure IT, the title of “Cisco SMB Select Partner”, rewarding our competencies, our know-how and the professional manner in which we manage projects.
While we have been able to offer the Cisco product line since we first opened our doors, we can now offer the entire SMB line of products which are designed with the Small and Medium business in mind. The Cisco SMB Select Partner is specially trained and certified to assist businesses with less than 250 users with this line of products designed especially for them!
Some of the products include:
Network video cameras to protect your business from slip, trip & fall type claims, theft, vandalism and even terrorist or violent criminal activities.
NAS or Network Area Storage, which allow centralized storage of your video from cameras, data from users and even backups.
VoIP or Voice over IP phone systems that permit your business to have state of the art features, such as a single number for people to dial that rings your desk phone and cell phone simultaneously, voice mail that goes to your email, automated attendant, etc.
Firewalls and other security products required to protect your internal infrastructure from external intrusion and to keep your business in compliance with regulations, as well as stopping spam and virus at the gateway before it enters your network.
Connectivity devices, like switches (both managed and unmanaged), routers, wireless access points and bridges.
In addition to offering these products, we also offer complete service and support for the entire Cisco SMB line and licensing of SMARTnet, Trend Micro / Cisco Spam & Virus Blocker subscription sales and renewals and more!
If you would like more information about the Cisco SMB offerings, please visit our Cisco Showcase, email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748. We are proud to be your Cisco SMB Select Partner in Greenville and Upstate SC!
Homeland Secure IT Alert
Secure IT Alert for Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Yesterday, January 11, 2011 was the first “Patch Tuesday” of the year from Microsoft.
More information can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms11-jan.mspx In short, if you are running a vulnerable version of the Microsoft Windows OS, you will need to apply these patches or risk suffering an exploit. And, as usual, keep your anti-virus up to date. Not running Anti-Virus or using some “free” solution? Call or email about how Trend Micro’s security software can help protect you or your business!
We also offer computer service, repair, and virus cleanup / removal in the Greenville / Upstate, SC area if you require assistance…
Homeland Secure IT Alert
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.
