Blue Lightning IT Services Resource Center

How to Tell if You’ve Been Hacked

October 7, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

Being hacked is the single biggest fear of most computer users. Many believe the first sign of strange behavior or errors on their PC is a sign hackers have taken control. But are hackers really inside your machine, stealing your information? Or should we be on the lookout for more subtle signs? What does being hacked really look like?

There is an important distinction to make between being hacked by a person and being infected with a virus or malware. Virus software and malware are automated processes designed to damage your system, steal your data, or both. There are of course ways that we can defeat these processes, but what if we are instead hacked by an individual?

Logins are not working

One of the first steps a hacker might take would be to change the computers passwords. By doing so, not only do they ensure future access to the account, they prevent you from accessing the system to stop them. For the hacker, this is a crucial step that keeps them in control. With this in mind, we always want to make sure to keep on top of our own login details and how often we change them.

Security Emails or SMS's from online services

Many services track which device and location you logged into your account from last. If your account is accessed from a new device or a different country it might trigger an automated email or SMS to ask if this new login is your own.

If you have logged in using a new computer, tablet, or phone; an email that asks "hey, is this you?" need not be cause for alarm. If you haven't, it may be time to investigate further. This service is an important part of information security. It may be a key first step to identify someone else gaining access to your account.

Back accounts missing money or strange transactions

Most commonly today, hackers commit crimes to steal money. The end goal for hackers is typically to profit from their crimes by taking money from people online.

It always pays to keep a regular eye on your financial transactions to make sure you know what money is coming and going from your account.

You may see a large sum missing where hackers have attempted to take as much as they can in a single transaction.

Alternatively small, hard to notice transactions may appear. These often account for small purchases where attackers have tested the details they have to make sure they work.

Sudden loss of cellular connectivity

Network interruption is a symptom that few people expect but occurs commonly when hackers attack. Many banks and online services use a security feature known as Two-factor authentication. To do this they send a short code to your phone or app when you log in. Two-factor authentication is ideal in most cases and a great boost to security.

Hackers can try to work around this by calling your mobile service provider to report your phone as lost or stolen. During this call, they will request your phone number be transferred to a new sim card that they control. When your bank sends its regular two-factor authentication code to the number registered, it goes instead to the hacker who may be able to log in. From your perspective phone service will simply stop working.

Keeping vigilant and maintaining security

These are only some of the modern techniques that hackers can try to use to gain access to your accounts. It pays to be extra vigilant and pay close attention to the signs and signals that indicate you may have been hacked.

Do you suspect that you and your business has been hacked?

Most Businesses Won’t Survive a Disaster. Could Yours?

October 2, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

With the crazy weather we’re seeing, natural disasters on the rise and cyber terrorism echoing for years, it’s not a case of ‘if’ a disaster will strike your business, but ‘when’. Surprisingly, it’s not the scope and scale of the event that influences how deeply your business is impacted, it’s your business continuity plan.

Put simply, this is the all-important set of precautions and pre-planned responses to an event, laid out in bullet-proof detail and implemented with one driving focus: keeping your business running with little or no downtime. Think about what would happen if your business was hit by a natural disaster tomorrow. Would it survive? How much downtime would it take to push you into dangerous territory?

According to an IBM study of all the companies that had a major loss of data, 43% never reopen, 51% close within two years and just 6% will survive long-term. For a fraction of those survivors, business even continued as usual thanks to their ‘failsafe’ business continuity plan. It’s more than disaster recovery, it’s full preparedness that bypasses the need for 2+ weeks of downtime, financial ruin, wasted salaries and reputation loss – but it does require a higher level of planning...in advance.

Recommendations to Put You in the Surviving 6%

Prioritize: You’ll need to plan exactly what you’ll recover first and know who’s in charge of making it happen. It goes beyond jotting down a checklist of things to do, it’s taking an analytical, process-based approach to recovery for each unique business perspective. But it’s also realistic: there’s no point dedicating precious time to reviving the email system if your customer data is leaking onto the internet, even if email did rank as your top communication priority!

Backup: Of course, the most critical part of your business continuity is having full backups in three places. Why three? One copy locally which you use each day, a backup on another (disconnected) device in the same location, and one in the cloud. That local backup is your life-saver for system crashes, cyber-attacks and the like; the cloud backup comes into play when your business has taken a major physical hit, perhaps from fire or flood. Some businesses can run entirely location-independent when using cloud systems like Microsoft 365, which can be enough to put them in that 6% of disaster survivors.

Test: Make sure all employees know what the plan is if something goes wrong, and their specific roles in these scenarios. You can test, prepare and rehearse your continuity plan under simulated disaster conditions, which will uncover new obstacles, priorities and additional threats.

As your IT environment becomes more complex, carrying more responsibility and risk, so does the importance of a robust business continuity plan. The best BC plans look beyond disaster recovery, taking into account scalability of your system and scope of your individual business, to create strong battle lines that will keep your business operational, both now and for the long term.

Does your business need a continuity plan?

Feeling the Budget Pinch? Here’s How We Can Help Save You and Your Business

September 27, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

When it comes to running a modern business, technology is always a growing line item in the budget. Costs seem to creep up every quarter, along with a new learning curve for simply keeping everything running along smoothly. It’s no wonder then that budget restrictions for tech were recently found to be a universal concern for small and medium businesses.

You’re balancing the outlay of maintenance with replacement, plus securing against a steady stream of threats – all while making sure every dollar gives maximum return on investment. It even sounds exhausting! What typically happens is the tech budget gets stripped to a bare minimum, hoping nothing unexpected pops up and everything keeps moving along nicely. After all, everything is working just fine and that money could make a real difference elsewhere… except as soon as an IT emergency strikes, that tiny budget is obliterated and you’re left to either limp along with insufficient tech or dip into another budget area.

Now imagine if budget wasn’t an issue. Imagine if all your tech expenses were predicted and capped, and you got everything you needed without resorting to financial magic tricks. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Put simply, that’s how our IT services works. It’s a service designed for businesses with a limited budget who don’t have time for tech issues. For a fixed price each month (which is no doubt less than you’re thinking), you get a team of IT technicians actively monitoring your systems in order to catch issues before they occur, repairing problems on the fly, and ensuring your business is always as secure as possible. Included as part of your IT service, you also get expert business consulting around the solutions you need now, which solutions will help you rapidly scale, and which technology you don’t need.

All for one predictable, fixed price each month. It gets better:

You'll reduce downtime and associated revenue loss

Forget scrambling while systems are down, with Blue Lightning IT Services you’ll know which tech is failing and can proactively repair or replace before it impacts your business. Downtime is planned/minimized and your staff are working uninterrupted by tech drama.

You'll skyrocket efficiency

You’ve probably been responding to your IT events in ‘firefighter mode’, essentially dealing with problems as they arise and switching to new, improved tech only when you must. With Blue Lightning IT Services, problems are automatically reported and optimal solutions designed in advance. Even the small issues that have been slowing your business down and limiting progress come to light, ready to be solved for greater efficiency.

You'll secure against data loss

Whether you’ve been following the news and worrying about the next cyberattack, or you’re working with confidential customer or proprietary data, Blue Lightning IT Services has you covered. We will secure your business against attacks using the latest technology, full backups, software updates and leverage every drop of their know-how to keep your valuable data safe.

Interested in managing your technology within your budget?

Should You Repair, Upgrade, or Replace Your Computer?

September 20, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

Like many valuable things we buy, new computers suffer from wear and tear over time. Our computers are particularly vulnerable as we have placed more and more demands on them every year. New machines have got faster, quieter, more reliable, and more capable over time. At the same time our own computers have begun to slow and sometimes even stop performing altogether.

There are many ways to address the problem of a PC which isn't quite performing up to the task anymore. Whether frustratingly slow or no longer working; we are happy to take a look. When you bring your computer to us we will diagnose the condition and find a solution that works for you. Often times the simplest solution works best. A complex problem sometimes only needs a simple repair to get your home computer up and running like new again. Whether a small replacement part, loose wire, or bad connection; we will find and fix the problem to give your familiar, home machine a new lease of life.

Many computers come to us running slowly, taking a long time to start up, or freezing when trying to load files and programs. Often owners have reached breaking point and become convinced the machine is fit for only the scrap heap. In many cases, the problem can be pinpointed to a bottleneck in the system. A single, seemingly trivial, part can be holding up the entire system. Amazingly, upgrading just that one component can make the whole machine run like new again.

Adding memory can provide extra space for programs to run faster. Adding an updated, faster hard drive can allow files to be retrieved without delay. In both cases, a low-cost single component can provide a cost-effective solution that makes an old machine like new again.

In some cases, computers succumb to more major faults. A critical part, difficult to replace, may stop working altogether. A failure of the motherboard for example, the backbone that all other components connect to can be expensive, if not impossible, to fix. Typically, with the fast-paced and ever-changing nature of computing, a motherboard will only house computer parts that were manufactured around a similar time.

A motherboard is almost certain to be incompatible with components built just a couple of years before or after its own design for example. Occasionally even a motherboard failure can be resolved too. In these cases we strive, whenever possible, to find a replacement board of the same generation that will work alongside existing components. The result is a cost-effective solution that keeps cost down by saving replacement parts.

In cases where a like-for-like replacement motherboard is not available, many parts of the computer may have to be replaced at the same time. Often replacement costs in these cases can get close to, or even exceed the cost of buying a new machine.

We would always give advice where it makes sense financially and practically to consider replacing an old machine. Often, in this respect, a home PC can be considered a little like a car. Sometimes a simple, non-expensive, easy to replace component such as the window wiper can fail. While a crucial part to be used for driving; it would be silly to suggest replacing the vehicle once it has worn out.

A window wiper may be low-cost and simple to replace, but if the engine were to wear down or break the solution may not be quite as simple. Attempting to make a 30-year-old car as fast, safe, and reliable as a brand new model generally doesn't make any financial or practical sense. Sometimes the best course of action to save money and avoid breakdowns is a more up to date vehicle.

In computing, many of the same rules hold true. The best solution in each case is always tailored personally to fit you and your own computer. We'll keep you informed about your machine and advise on the best course of action to get you up and running as quickly as possible.

Need help deciding?

6 Simple Steps to Protect Your Customer’s Data

September 14, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

As cyber-attacks continue to make headlines, hackers are exposing or selling customer data files in record numbers. But just like with any threat, there are actions you can take to minimize risk and ensure your business retains a positive reputation among customers.

Stop using the same password on repeat - Set a mandate for all staff that passwords must be unique for each user and for your workplace. That means it can’t be remotely like the one on their home PC, tablet or online banking. Passwords are hacked more than ever, so when you’re prompted for a password change, dig deep and really think about what goes into a hacker-proof password. If remembering them is a problem, consider one of the latest password management tools.
Go on a shredding spree -How much sensitive data is being dumped into the recycling bin? Valuable customer data is often taken from the bins of small businesses and quickly sold or published. It’s not just good practice to shred sensitive documents, it’s the law. Take 5 seconds to run documents through the shredder or book in the services of a secure shredding company.
Ditch the accounting spreadsheets - Still using an Excel doc for all your number-crunching? Besides making your accountant’s job harder (and more expensive), you’re opening your business to a massive range of vulnerabilities. Even with password-protection, spreadsheets aren’t designed to safeguard your financials or those of your clients. Upgrade to a proper accounting solution with built-in customer data protections and security guarantees.
Train staff explicitly - You can’t rely on common sense because what you think is a given might be news to someone else. It can be extremely beneficial to hold special data-safety training sessions once or twice a year as a reminder, as well as take the time to induct new staff into the way things are done.
Limit access to data - Just like the bank manager who guards the keys to the vault, you can limit who accesses your data. Revoke employee access as soon as they leave your business for good, and set rules around who can access what – and when. Do they need access to sensitive information while working from home? Should they be able to change the files, or only view them?
Keep your software updated - Possibly the most preventable hack, having outdated software can be an open invitation for cyber-criminals. They look for known weaknesses in business software and waltz right in. While the nagging pop-ups and reminders to update can feel like a selling ploy, they’re actually helping your business to stay in the safe zone. Updated software gives you protection against new viruses and hacking techniques, plus closes off those nasty weaknesses.

Are you and your business secure from data breaches?

Cybersecurity Tips for Employees: The Complete Guide to Secure Behavior Online and in the Office

September 10, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

Introduction: The Need to Educate Employees on Cybersecurity

When developing cybersecurity programs, many businesses focus on protecting their infrastructure perimeter and device endpoints. After all, that’s where cybercriminals usually first gain access and wreak havoc on a company’s digital access.

But it’s also important to consider what happens when a threat bypasses perimeter defenses and targets an employee—in the form of a malicious email or text, or even a voicemail that might prompt an employee to respond with confidential company information. There’s also the possibility of an offline attack from inside the office, where an employee or an office visitor might gain access to valuable data by quickly taking something carelessly left on a desk.

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, in 2014, 69% of business executives expressed concern about cyber threats, including a lack of data security. In 2015, an updated survey increased that number to 86%.1 These numbers indicate that it’s clear there’s a pressing need for better cybersecurity. The issue is not going away anytime soon. If anything, it’s only getting worse.

Stronger cybersecurity has become a global priority over the last few years as hackers penetrate the IT infrastructure of government and enterprises with increasing frequency and sophistication. According to a study conducted by the Identify Theft Resources Center, the total number of data breaches reported in the US grew from approximately 400 in 2011 to approximately 750 in 2015. This represents an increase of more than 60% and does not include breaches that went unreported—a figure that is likely much higher.1 Coupled with the Internet of Things (IoT) and the explosive growth of mobile devices, the threat landscape and potential for data leaks is even more significant.

In this post, we explore the need for employees to practice strict and secure cybersecurity habits— not only to thwart digital attacks, but also to prevent someone from simply walking by their desk (in the office or at home) and picking up a device or document that contains sensitive information. We also present the key steps SMB business owners can take to educate their employees to help secure their company’s data and intellectual property.

We can’t stress enough the importance of security awareness training for internal employees. Educating them on what it takes to protect proprietary documents and data is critical. Any leaks— unintentional and intentional—could hurt the business in the form of information that assists a competitor, violates regulations, or harms the corporate image. Leaks can also hurt employees from the standpoint of personal information that might be exposed. Lastly, customers and business partners could be at risk, compromising the industry reputation of any business that does not properly protect confidential information. It only takes one incident to completely destroy any goodwill you established and built with your customer base.

Physical Security Precautions

Keep a Clean Desk

It makes complete sense and sounds so simple, but keeping a clean desk is often overlooked when talking about data security. It’s also the perfect place to start the discussion with employees.

Employees that keep a cluttered desk tend to leave USB drives and smartphones out in the open. They also often forget to physically secure their desktops and laptops so someone can’t simply walk off with them.

A messy desk also makes it more difficult to realize something is missing such as a folder with hard copy print-outs of customer lists. In addition to increasing the likelihood of something being removed, a cluttered desk means that the discovery of any theft will likely be delayed—perhaps by days or even weeks if the employee is out of the office. Such delays make it more difficult to determine who the perpetrator is and where the stolen material might now be located.

Encouraging employees to maintain a neat desk pays off in two ways. In addition to making digital and paper assets more secure, employees with clean desks are more apt to be productive because they can quickly—and safely—access the tools and resources they need to do their jobs.

The Common Messy Desk Mistakes to Avoid

The following list presents 11 “messy desk” mistakes employees are prone to commit and which could cause irreparable harm to the business, the employee, fellow employees, customers and business partners. These are all bad habits for which to educate employees to stop:

Leaving computer screens on without password protection: Anyone passing by has easy access to all the information on the device; be sure to lock down screen settings.
Placing documents on the desk that could contain sensitive information: It’s best to keep them locked up in drawers and file cabinets.
Forgetting to shred documents before they go into the trash or recycling bin: Any document may contain sensitive information; it’s best to shred everything rather than taking a risk.
Failing to close file cabinets: This makes it easy for someone to steal sensitive information and more difficult to realize a theft has occurred.
Setting mobile phones and USB drives out in the open: They likely contain sensitive business or personal information and are easy to pick up quickly without being caught in the act.
Neglecting to erase notes on whiteboards: They often display confidential information on products, new ideas and proprietary business processes.
Dropping backpacks out in the open: There’s often at least one device or folder with sensitive information inside.
Writing usernames and passwords on slips of paper or post-it notes: This is especially important given that user names and passwords are typically used to log in to more than one site.
Leaving behind a key to a locked drawer: This makes it easy to come back later—perhaps after hours when no one is around—and access confidential files.
Displaying calendars in the open or on the screen for all to see: Calendars often contain sensitive dates and/or information about customers, prospects and/or new products.
Leaving wallets and credit cards out on the desk: This is more likely to impact the employee, but wallets may also possess corporate credit cards and security badges.

In today’s fast-paced world where employees are always on the go, it takes too much time to determine whether documents, USB drives, devices and other items contain sensitive information. The safe bet is to make sure everything is filed away and kept locked up or else properly destroyed.

Email Threats

Social Engineering Inboxes and Voicemail

Social engineering is non-technical, malicious activity that exploits human interactions to obtain information about internal processes, configuration and technical security policies in order to gain access to secure devices and networks. Such attacks are typically carried out when cybercriminals pose as credible, trusted authorities to convince their targets to grant access to sensitive data and high-security locations or networks.

An example of social engineering is a phone call or email where an employee receives a message that their computer is sending bad traffic to the Internet. To fix this issue, end users are asked to call or email a tech support hotline and prompted to give information that could very likely give the cybercriminal access to the company’s network.

Phishing Email Compromises

One of the most common forms of social engineering is email phishing—an attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card data by masquerading as a trustworthy entity. Phishing is likely the #1 primary email threat employees need to focus on.

Such emails often spoof the company CEO, a customer or a business partner and do so in a sophisticated, subtle way so that the victim thinks they are responding to a legitimate request. The FBI says CEO (or C-level) fraud has increased 270 percent in the past two years with over 12,000 reported incidents totaling over $2 billion dollars in corporate losses.2

Among the reasons these scams succeed are the appearance of authority—staffers are used to carrying out CEO instructions quickly. That’s why phishing can be so easy to fall victim to.

Four Common Phishing Techniques

The scope of phishing attacks is constantly expanding, but frequent attackers tend to utilize one of these four tactics:

Embedding links into emails that redirect users to an unsecured website requesting sensitive information.
Installing Trojans via a malicious email attachment or posing ads on a website that allow intruders to exploit loopholes and obtain sensitive information.
Spoofing the sender address in an email to appear as a reputable source and requesting sensitive information.
Attempting to obtain company information over the phone by impersonating a known company vendor or IT department.

Email Security Best Practices--Five Ways to Block Phishing Attacks

Employees should always be suspicious of potential phishing attacks, especially if they don’t know the sender. Here are five best practices to follow to help make sure employees don’t become helpless victims:

Don't reveal personal or financial information in an email—Make sure employees also know not to respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes clicking on links sent in such emails.
Check the security of websites—This is a key precaution to take before sending sensitive information over the Internet. HTTP indicates the site has not applied any security measures while HTTPS means it has. Also consider if employees are practicing safe browsing habits. Sites that do not serve a legitimate business purpose are also more likely to contain harmful links.
Pay attention to website URLs—Not all emails or email links seem like phishing attacks, so employees may be lured into a false sense of security. Teach them that many malicious websites fool end users by mimicking legitimate websites. One way to sniff this out is to look at the URL (if it's not hidden behind non-descript text) to see if it looks legit. Employees may also be able to detect and evade the scheme by finding variations in spellings or a different domain (e.g.,.com versus .net).
Verify suspicious email requests—Contact the company they're believed to be from directly. If an employee receives an email that looks odd from a well-known company, such as a bank, instruct them to reach out to the bank using means other than responding to the suspicious email address. It’s best to contact the company using information provided on an account statement—NOT the information provided in the email.
Keep a clean machine—Utilizing the latest operating system, software and web browser as well as antivirus and malware protection are the best defenses against viruses, malware and other online threats. It may be difficult for employees to do this, so the business may want to invest in a managed IT services provider who can also be a trusted advisor for all IT needs.

Username and Password Management

Low Security Account Credentials

Although it should be common sense, employees need to avoid the use of passwords that are easy for hackers to guess. Among the top ten worst passwords according to www.splashdata.com are those that use a series of numbers in numerical order, such as 123456. The names of popular sports such as football and baseball are also on the list as are quirky passwords such as qwerty and even the word password itself.

Emphasis should also be placed on the importance of avoiding common usernames. In analysis conducted by the information security firm Rapid7, hackers most often prey upon these 10 usernames in particular3:

Username	administrator	Administrator	user1	Admin
Alex	Pos	Demo	db2admin	Sql

How Attackers Exploit Weak Passwords to Obtain Access

While most websites don’t store actual username passwords, they do store a password hash for each username. A password hash is a form of encryption, but cybercriminals can sometimes use the password hash to reverse engineer the password. When passwords are weak, it's easier to break the password hash.

Here is a list of common word mutations hackers use to identify passwords if they feel they already have a general idea of what the password might be4:

Capitalizing the first letter of a word
Checking all combinations of upper/lowercase for words
Inserting a number randomly in the word
Placing numbers at the beginning and the end of words
Putting the same pattern at both ends, such as foobar
Replacing letters like o and l with numbers like 0 and 1
Punctuating the ends of words, such as adding an exclamation mark !
Duplicating the first letter or all the letters in a word
Combining two words together
Adding punctuation or spaces between the words
Inserting @ in place of a

Educating end users on these tactics underscores the importance of creating long passwords (at least 12 characters) and applying multiple deviations, rather than something simple like just capitalizing the first letter.

Nine Tips to Strengthen Password Security

Change passwords at least every three months for non-administrative users and 45-60 days for admin accounts.
Use different passwords for each login credential.
Avoid generic accounts and shared passwords.
Conduct audits periodically to identify weak/duplicate passwords and change as necessary.
Pick challenging passwords that include a combination of letters (upper and lower case), numbers and special characters (e.g. $, % and &).
Avoid personal information such as birth dates, pet names and sports.
Use passwords or passphrases of 12+ characters.
Use a Password Manager such as LastPass where users need just one master password.
Don’t use a browser’s auto-fill function for passwords.

An advanced and under-used password security tip to consider is two-factor authentication, which is a way for websites to double confirm an end user’s identity. After the end user successfully logs in, they receive a text message with a passcode to then input in order to authenticate their ID.

This approach makes sure that end users not only know their passwords but also have access to their own phone. Two-factor authentication works well because cybercriminals rarely steal an end user’s password and phone at the same time. Leading banks and financial institutions enable two-factor authentication by default, but if not, the service can often be turned on by asking the website to do so. More and more non-financial websites are now offering two-factor authentication as well.

Mobile Security

Mobile Threats Jeopardizing Company Data

Mobile security is increasingly becoming a big concern as more and more companies adopt Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environments, which allow end users to connect to corporate networks through their own (often multiple) devices. Even in cases where a business does not offer BYOD, end users often find a way to log onto business networks on their own.

With personal devices accessing corporate networks, businesses must now protect endpoint devices that are not completely under their control, which opens up the business to greater risk. Trying to gain control over personal devices also presents the challenge of making sure the company does not infringe on personal apps and information employees store on their own devices.

Mobile Device Security Challenges

Lost, misplaced or stolen devices—remote wiping them quickly is key to protecting sensitive business and personal information.
Mobile malware—hackers are now turning their attention to mobile devices and executing successful breaches through text messages. Android markets can be set up by anyone looking to sell malicious software to unsuspecting customers. Note: While mobile malware affects Androids more than iOS, a few exploits exist for Apple products as well.
Unsecure third-party apps—if breached, they can serve as a gateway to other apps on a device and the device operating system, where security controls can be manipulated.
Files with sensitive information accidentally emailed to an unauthorized party or posted online— once something is sent, it’s out there forever.

Employees that utilize unsecured public WiFi are another area of concern. Hackers in the vicinity of or on the same network can overtake a device without the end user even being aware, capturing sensitive data in transit. The end user can then become the victim of a man-in-the-middle attack, also referred to as hijacking. The hacker leverages the device so that it turns into an invasive device against other unsuspecting end users.

How Employees Can Secure Their Mobile Devices

Set a PIN or passcode: This is the first line of defense—if someone wants to access the device, they first need to break the code. This is not an easy task and can operate as a deterrent against theft. Some device manufacturers also provide the option to automatically wipe the device after a few unsuccessful attempts at the passcode or PIN. So even if a phone is stolen, information cannot be accessed.

Use remote locate tools: Several software solutions help locate lost or stolen devices through GPS and geofencing capabilities. Apple offers a service like this for mobile devices aptly named Find my iPhone. For Android users, the Android Device Manager offers these services, and Windows mobile users have this same option from the Windows Phone website. Similarly, many third-party applications are available in each of the app stores.

Keep devices clean: Phones are mini-computers, and just like “big” computers, they need to be cleaned up from time-to-time. Utilizing an antivirus and malware scanner is always a good idea. Malware can compromise information stored on mobile devices and has a snowball effect that continuously piles up until it slows downs or stops the device.

Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions help businesses and their employees apply these best practices by providing the ability to remotely wipe any devices that are lost or stolen. Such solutions also isolate personal apps from corporate apps in separate digital containers so that personal information remains private, and when an employee leaves the company, only their corporate apps and data are deleted while their personal apps and data are left intact.

By deploying an MDM platform, businesses can also enforce the use of passcodes to access devices, and they can apply geofencing capabilities that allow a lost device to be more easily located. End users can also be restricted to using only the corporate apps for which they have proper authorization. MDM also protects devices from jailbreaking and rooting—where hackers try to gain access to the operating system to open security holes or undermine the device’s built-in security measures.

Secure Website Browsing

The Top Browser Threats

When end users venture out onto the Internet, it’s easy to get tangled up in the vast web of threats lurking on many website pages. Some of them are readily apparent, but others are well hidden.

Malvertising—a form of malicious code that distributes malware through online advertising—can be hidden within an ad, embedded on a website page, or bundled with software downloads. This type of threat can be displayed on any website, even those considered the most trustworthy. According to security firm RiskIQ, malvertising increased by 260% in the first half of 2015 compared to the same timeframe in 2014.5

End users also need to beware of social media scams. Hackers have created a playground of virtual obstacles across all the major social media sites. According to an article in The Huffington Post, some of the most common Facebook hacks and attacks include click-jacking, phishing schemes, fake pages, rogue applications and the infamous and persistent Koobface worm, which gives attackers control of the victim's machine while replicating the attack to everyone on their Facebook contact list.

Twitter isn’t immune to security issues either. Since the microblogging site is both a social network and a search engine, it poses extra problems. According to CNET News, just 43 percent of Twitter users could be classified as “true” users compared to the other 57 percent, which fell into a bucket of “questionable” users. Among the things to watch for on Twitter are direct messages that lead to phishing scams and shortened URLs that hide malicious intentions.

As for Web-based exploits, Internet websites are now the most commonly-used angles of attack, most often targeting software vulnerabilities or using exploits on the receiving client. This makes keeping up-to-date browsers paramount for all employees.

Website Browsing Best Practices for Employees

Be conservative with online downloads.
Beware antivirus scams.
Interact only with well-known, reputable websites.
Confirm each site is the genuine site and not a fraudulent site.
Determine if the site utilizes SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), a security technology for establishing encrypted links between Web servers and browsers.
Don’t click links in emails—go to sites directly.
Use social media best practices.

The Value of an MSP in Ensuring Employee Cybersecurity

Partnering with a Managed Services Provider (MSP) that focuses on IT security can bolster your cybersecurity defenses. This is especially true when it comes to end user error. All the tools and solutions in the world won’t protect your business from every attack. Human error is still highly dangerous, and many employees grow complacent at some point as they fail to follow best practices.

An MSP that offers mobile device management (MDM) can be very helpful in deploying automatic and remote device-locate and device-wipe services in cases where mobile devices are lost or stolen. MSPs also offer antimalware and antivirus solutions to keep data on mobile devices as well as desktops protected.

Partnering with an MSP makes sense because they serve as a backup for proactively preventing security leaks that employees might cause and mitigating damage when a leak occurs. Here’s a sampling of the benefits a mobile device management MSP can provide:

Keeps employee devices updated with the latest antivirus and antimalware software.
Applies updates to programs and applications when new versions and fixes become available.
Applies operating system patches when first available on a regular schedule that you can configure.
Provides security assessments to identify weaknesses in your existing mobile security program.
Offers guidance on how to mitigate any mobile security program risks

As for specific preventative tools that are helpful, look for an MSP that offers Malwarebytes or Bitdefender for both mobile devices and computers. The antimalware solution keeps endpoints clean and secure from outsiders.

Viruses can also do serious harm to information, so consider MSPs that offer Bitdefender as an antivirus application. The technology scans downloaded apps and devices for any threats. Equipped with Internet security, this defense provides a heads-up if it detects any malicious activity from the device browser.

Education and Technology: A Winning Cybersecurity Combination

As your business begins the journey to enhance its cybersecurity posture, it all starts with educating your employees. The tips provided within this post along with some basic common sense can go a long way in making sure sensitive information does not fall into the wrong hands, proactively identify and thwart potential attacks as well as react expediently if a successful attack occurs. This is where a managed IT services provider can assist. They eliminate the need for your business to keep up on the latest antivirus, antimalware and alert technologies. You also don’t need to expend the necessary resource time to deploy and manage such solutions, which often fall beyond the bandwidth and expertise of internal teams.

Succeeding in applying the necessary cybersecurity measures is paramount to your long-term business success. In today’s world of advanced hackers, who revel in breaching corporate networks, confidential information will always be at risk. Businesses must take the necessary steps to protect their intellectual property, their confidential information and their reputations while also safeguarding their employees, customers and business partners.

If you or your business is in need of cybersecurity solutions, please don't hesitate to contact us today and let us work on your behalf in implementing the proper security measures.

Sources

Business Insider, “This one chart explains why cybersecurity is so important,” 4/5/2016: www.businessinsider.com/cybersecurity-report-threats-and-opportunities-2016-3

RSA Conference, “How a Security CEO Fell Prey to Scammers (Almost),” 3/3/2016: http://www.rsaconference.com/blogs/security-ceo-scammers#sthash.egMiB2xW.dpuf

lifehacker, “The Top 10 Usernames and Passwords Hackers Try to Get into Remote Computers,” 3/3/2016: http://lifehacker.com/the-top-10-usernames-and-passwords-hackers-try-to-get-i-1762638243

Webroot, “Top 11 Security resolutions for the New Year,” 12/29/2015: http://www.webroot.com/blog/2015/12/29/top-11-security-resolutions-for-the-new-year/

InformationWeek DarkReading, “How Hackers Will Crack Your Password,” 1/21/2009: http://www.darkreading.com/risk/how-hackers-will-crack-your-password/d/d-id/1130217

Sophos Labs, “When Malware Goes Mobile: Causes, Outcomes and Cures,” 2015: https://www.sophos.com/ en-us/medialibrary/Gated%20Assets/white%20papers/Sophos_Malware_Goes_Mobile.pdf

Symantec Blog, “7 Security Tips To Protect Your Mobile Workforce,” 6/30/2014: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/7-security-tips-protect-your-mobile-workforce

Entrepreneur, “11 Tips to Secure Mobile Devices and Client Data,” 6/11/2015: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246814

Webroot, “How Businesses Stay Safe and Secure Using Social Media,” Date unknown: http://www.webroot. com/us/en/business/resources/articles/social-media/how-businesses-stay-safe-and-secure-using-social-media

ComputerWeekly, “BlackHat 2015: RiskIQ Reports Huge Spike in Malvertising,” 8/24/2015: http://www.computerweekly.com/news/4500251077/BlackHat-2015-RiskIQ-reports-huge-spike-in- malvertising

Heimdal Security, “How You Can Get Infected via World Wide Web Exploits,” 3/3/2015: https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/internet-browser-vulnerabilities/

Interested in learning more?

5 Ways to Extend Your Phone’s Battery

September 7, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

Today’s phones can help us do more than ever before. In addition to making phone calls, we use them to send messages, post photos on our favorite apps, watch videos, play games, and endless other activities. Since our phones can accomplish so much, we’re on them often. That means we’re draining a lot of phone battery. In our busy lives, we aren’t always near an outlet and don’t always have a phone charger ready. If our phones die, we risk missing out on important notifications and being unable to easily communicate with others. So what strategies can we use to extend our battery life?

Check App's Battery Usage

When it comes to battery usage, not all apps are created equal. While checking your email uses a small amount of power, any apps that use GPS drain a significant amount of your phone’s battery. This is because they are constantly talking to the GPS satellites. Check to see which of your apps are draining your battery most and limit usage.

Turn Off WiFi & Bluetooth

It’s a good to turn both WiFi and Bluetooth off when you aren’t using them and want to preserve battery life. While they may not be connected to anything, they are still constantly searching for your home’s WiFi and car’s Bluetooth. That’s how they auto connect when you are back within their range.

Lower your Phone's Brightness

One of the easiest ways to save battery is to reduce how bright your phone’s screen is. The brighter your screen is, the more phone life it is using up. Most phones adjust the brightness levels based on how light your surroundings are. You can override this and turn the level down to save battery. The more you dim it, the longer your battery will last.

Go on Power Saving Mode

When you put your phone in Power Saving Mode, it stops it from automatically checking to see if there are new emails, powers off your display faster, and reduces screen brightness. It also turns off certain visual effects and some other features take a lot of battery. On some phones, it also makes your apps run a little slower.

Buy a Built-in Battery Case

Some people need to use power-draining features often and have phone-heavy lifestyles. If this is you, it may still be a struggle to keep your battery lasting throughout the day. If all of the other options aren’t sufficient, you can buy a phone case with a built-in battery. This extra battery charges your phone while using it making it last longer throughout the day.

While any of these methods will help you extend your phone’s battery, it’s best to combine a few options. Our phones make our lives much easier, but they can’t do anything for us if they’re dead because we let the battery run out. Even more importantly, we want our phones usable in case of an emergency. Luckily, using these methods will help keep our batteries alive throughout the day. Just remember to charge them again at home.

Need more tips?

Can Private Browsing Protect You Online?

August 6, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

Maintaining your privacy while using the internet has become more challenging over the years. The recent Facebook privacy scandal made that abundantly clear, with users shocked at how much information had been recorded about them. While it’s almost impossible to enjoy the internet and leave zero digital footprints, there are things you can do to hide your online activities - some more effective than others.

Get a virtual private network (VPN) - VPNs aren’t just for business and downloaders now, they’ve gone mainstream. Once set up, it creates an encrypted connection from your computer to the VPN providers computer. The other computer could be in another city or another country. When you visit a website, it can only see the VPN computer - not yours. You essentially run around the internet pretending to be another computer, in another location. Since your connection is encrypted, even your ISP can’t see what you’re doing online, making your usage anonymous. The downside: Because your internet usage has to route through another computer first, your browsing and download speed could be affected. They can be tricky to set up and not all VPNs offer the same privacy levels (the better ones tend to be more expensive). Some websites may even block visits from people using VPNs, so you may end up switching it on/off as required.
Go incognito - Most browsers have a private browsing mode, each called something different. For example, Google Chrome calls it ‘incognito’, Microsoft calls it ‘InPrivate’. Before you take the name at face value, it’s a good idea to talk about how they define ‘private’. Unlike a VPN where you can dance around the internet anonymously, private browsing simply means it won’t show up in your browser history, or what you entered into forms. This feature is free, so you always have the option to use it, and it’s actually more helpful than you might think. Common uses include price shopping to reset sale timers and access local-only pricing and overriding usage limits on certain sites. Some sites use cookies to control your free trials and private browsing can help you get around that. For example, some news sites limit you to 5 free articles a month unless you pay. Private browsing can extend that trial quite easily! The downside: It can’t pre-fill saved passwords and it won’t help you type in the website name even if you’ve been there before.
Think about who's watching - While you might be naturally careful when using a public computer have you thought about who’s watching what you do on your work computer? Some workplaces have employee monitoring software that tracks all sorts of data, including taking screenshots of your desktop. It helps them create rules about computer usage but it may also provide them with evidence you’ve been breaking those rules. Stepping out to the internet cafe can be even more risky, as people can install keyloggers that record every keystroke, including your credit card numbers and logins. You’ll never know your activities are being recorded, even if you use private browsing. The downside: None. Awareness of the risks and the possibility of being watched ensures you’re more likely to use the internet safely.

While private browsing can help keep your internet usage under wraps, it’s not a magic bullet to cover all possibilities. Many people believe they’re invisible AND invulnerable while private browsing, a mistake they end up paying for. You’ll still need solid anti-virus and password habits to protect against threat, and to be a smart internet user who avoids suspect websites. Consider the options above as privacy-enhancing measures, not one-stop solutions.

Need help with your online privacy?

Shopping for a New Computer?

June 25, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

It’s a decision that comes with equal doses of excitement and overwhelm: getting a new computer! Unlike popping out to the shops for a new toaster, choosing the right computer comes with so many questions, most of which are usually asked in some sort of alien language. Helpful sales people offering RAM as it were a side of fries, measuring CPU speeds in ‘cores’, and listing specs that mean nothing around what you actually want to do.

That’s where we start. Not with tricky language that only makes sense to other computer geeks, we simply find out what you plan to use your computer for, then help you do it. Depending on your needs, we may even be able to provide the computer right there and then. Other times, we’ll offer guidance on what’s in the stores and make sure you’re equipped with all the magic words that get you walking out with what you need, and only what you need (at the perfect price!).

Then comes the real fun.

Once you’ve got that new machine home and out of the box, you’ve inhaled that new tech smell and taken plenty of selfies to remember the moment forever, the overwhelm can come flying back in. Which cord goes where? It doesn’t work like your old one! Why is it doing that?! How to put programs back on? Does it come with security already loaded? If you’ve had your old computer for a few years, you know you’re in for a bit of inconvenience, no matter how shiny the replacement is. We can assist you through this transition period and make it all so much easier by helping to:

Move your old files for you.

One thing most people forget during their new computer bliss-phase is how to get information off your old computer and onto your new one. If your old computer is too broken to boot, this can be a real problem. Our technicians can either turn the old hard drive into an external drive for you or copy the data onto a USB stick. You’ll be able to pick out the files you need and continue what you were doing. If you’d prefer, we can often install the old hard drive inside your new desktop so it’s always there and you have extra storage as a bonus.

Set up your email.

It’s no secret, setting up email can cause headaches even for a tech person. Getting the settings perfect can sometimes be more error than success. The most common problem we see is email that can receive, but not send. It’s a frustrating problem, especially when you’re sending important emails. We can set your email up successfully and ensure it both sends and receives, as well as add in any additional accounts you’d like to manage from the same app.

Save your favorites.

All those bookmarks you’ve made and carefully sorted (or not) are important. You may even have different collections of favorites in different browsers and the last thing you want to do is go find those pages again. We can retrieve your old favorites and put them onto your new computer, making your browser experience look and feel exactly as it did before, only faster.

Set up your software.

Quite often these days, software doesn’t come on a CD. While that’s forward thinking and reducing waste, don’t you miss having a disk you could install from and the license key taped to the back? We sure do! Even so, we can help you re-download your programs and set up the licenses good as new. As technicians, we also tend to go one step beyond and make sure the new software is optimized, updated and working well. While we’re doing that, we make sure your anti-virus is up-to-date and you’re as secure as possible against threats.

Connect extra devices

Sometimes it’s a matter of knowing what cord goes where or getting the right adapter, but sometimes new devices can present software problems. Printers, webcams, game controllers, etc all have unique drivers that need to be installed before they can work properly. Windows 10 is great at picking most of these up automatically, but if they’re not playing nice or your new computer is suddenly missing the correct plug, we can help get you moving again.

Need assistance setting up a new computer?

What’s Best for Your Computer: Shut Down or Sleep?

June 22, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

Most homes are trying to reduce power costs by turning off lights and appliances, but do the same rules apply to computers? After all, it requires more than flicking a switch on your way out the door. Some people believe you should shut down after every use to save wear and tear, others believe you should never shut down your computer - ever. Others simply want to make sure the pages and apps they left open are still there waiting for them. So, who’s right and what are they really doing?

Back when computers were clunky behemoths that took a long time to start, you’d go nuts at the person who shut it down when it was your turn. If you have an older computer, maybe you still do. Modern computers actually have two options for their downtime: Shut down or sleep.

When it shuts down, the system goes through and closes any open programs (often prompting you to save first), then gradually cuts power to all components. It’s a methodical process that seems quite fast to us but is actually made of 100+ intentionally ordered steps. If there’s a sudden blackout or you hold the power button until it turns off, it means the steps aren’t followed and damage is possible. The second option is to put your computer to sleep. This can be triggered by an automated timeout or a user click. Your system uses a special type of memory called RAM to hold all your running programs exactly as you left them but use minimal power. The hard drive stops spinning, the graphics card lets the screen go black, and even the system fan slows to become almost silent. When you wake it by moving the mouse or pressing a key, it ‘wakes’ again almost instantly.

Reasons to Shut Down

A switched off computer isn’t drawing power which is a tick for the environment. But shutting down is about more than saving power. It can sometimes give improved stability over a machine that’s been running for days/weeks. This is because every time you shut down, you give your computer a chance to clear out all temporary junk files it’s been carrying in memory. It also triggers various health checks on startup that may otherwise be missed, important routines like checking for updates or scanning for viruses. It’s certainly more convenient to spend an extra minute booting up than lose everything to a cyber-attack. For older computers or those under heavy strain like gaming or video editing, shutting down also provides a necessary chance for the components to cool down.

Reasons to Sleep

Speed is the big selling point here. You can literally sit down and start working where you left off without the delays of bootup, finding your program, opening your saved files, scrolling down... it’s all right there and ready. You can even tell it how long to wait before putting itself into sleep mode, just in case you get called away and forget. Windows updates still run in the background, so that’s okay, but it’s important to note that your computer might get stuck waiting for a reboot that never comes. Those pending updates may stack up, ineffective until it either forces a reboot or becomes unstable enough that you give in to a restart.

The best method is….

Since the whole point of having a computer is that it’s ready to work when you are, we recommend shutting down at night when it’s definitely not in use but using sleep mode during the day. Updates will get all the rebooting they need, memory is refreshed for the new day, and you’ll get the best of both worlds - speed and stability.