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Philippines Typhoon Disaster Email Scams and Phishing Attack Warning

After a natural disaster phishing emails and websites requesting donations for bogus charitable organizations begin to appear. Users should be aware of potential email scams and phishing attacks regarding the recent Philippines Typhoon disaster. Email scams may contain links or attachments which may direct users to phishing or malware-laden websites.

CS2K and US-CERT encourages users to take the following measures to protect themselves:

 

Contact CS2K today for your complimentary site analysis. We will help you determine the weaknesses in your own network security.

Posted in: Network Security, Tech Tips for Business Owners

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Recognizing Fake Antiviruses

What is fake antivirus?

Fake antivirus is malicious software (malware) designed to steal information from unsuspecting users by mimicking legitimate security software. The malware makes numerous system modifications making it extremely difficult to terminate unauthorized activities and remove the program. It also causes realistic, interactive security warnings to be displayed to the computer user.

How can my computer become infected with fake antivirus?

Criminals distribute this type of malware using search engines, emails, social networking sites, internet advertisements and other malware. They leverage advanced social engineering methodologies and popular technologies to maximize number of infected computers.

How will I know if I am infected?

The presence of pop-ups displaying unusual security warnings and asking for credit card or personal information is the most obvious method of identifying a fake antivirus infection.

What can I do to protect myself?

  • Be cautious when visiting web links or opening attachments from unknown senders.
  • Keep software patched and updated. Contact CS2K for more information on the importance of software patching.
  • Monitor your credit cards for unauthorized activity.
  • To report Internet crime or fraud, contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov).

 

Author

Mindi McDowell 

 

Posted in: Network Security, Tech Tips for Business Owners

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Why is Microsoft Ending Support for Windows XP and Office 2003?

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In 2002 Microsoft introduced its Support Lifecycle policy based on customer feedback to have more transparency and predictability of support for Microsoft products. As per this policy, Microsoft Business and Developer products, including Windows and Office products, receive a minimum of 10 years of support (5 years Mainstream Support and 5 years Extended Support), at the supported service pack level.

Thus, Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will go out of support on April 8, 2014. If your organization has not started the migration to a modern desktop, you are late. Based on historical customer deployment data, the average enterprise deployment can take 18 to 32 months from business case through full deployment. To ensure you remain on supported versions of Windows and Office, you should begin your planning and application testing immediately to ensure you deploy before end of support.

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What Does End of Support Mean to Customers?

It means you should take action. After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.

Running Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company to potential risks, such as:

  • Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information.
  • Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers support: A recent industry report from Gartner Research suggests “many independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP in 2011; in 2012, it will become common.” And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Gartner Research further notes that in 2012, most PC hardware manufacturers will stop supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models.

Get current with Windows and Office. This option has upside well beyond keeping you supported. It offers more flexibility to empower employees to be more productive, while increasing operational efficiency through improved PC security and management. It also enables your organization to take advantage of latest technology trends such as virtualization and the cloud.

Jumpstart your Windows XP Migration

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CS2K can help organizations migrate to Windows 7 and/or Windows 8 and reap the benefits of a modernized workplace, including an improved user and management experience. Along the way, Microsoft Services can help your organization to mitigate risk, have a uniform, secure environment that enables anywhere and anytime access, and reduce total cost of ownership.

 

If you would like to Learn more and scheduled a NO COST Analysis to see how CS2K can assist in your upgrade project, please tell us who you are:

Posted in: Network Security

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D-Link routers contain backdoors

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) is reporting that firmware for various D-Link routers contains a backdoor that allows unauthenticated remote users to bypass the routers’ password authentication mechanism. An unauthenticated remote attacker can take any action as an administrator using the remote management web server.

D-Link is maintaining a page to inform users of this issue and provide updates as patches are released.

 

 

Posted in: Network Security

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Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams

Email provides us a convenient and powerful communications tool. Unfortunately, it also provides scammers and other malicious individuals an easy means for luring potential victims. The scams they attempt run from old-fashioned bait-and-switch operations to phishing schemes using a combination of email and bogus web sites to trick victims into divulging sensitive information.

 

This detailed whitepaper provided by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team advises how to protect yourself from these scams by understanding what they are, what they look like, how they work and what you can do to avoid them.

 

Posted in: Network Security, Tech Tips for Business Owners

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