Spam emails are nothing new. Your junk folder is routinely home to a handful at a time, and at this point, spam is more of an annoyance than anything else. And cyber criminals know it. Which is why today’s scam emails don’t always look like spam on the surface. More and more, users are receiving emails from what appear to be legitimate senders, but with odd timing or information. These unexpected emails should be raising a red flag when you spot them in your inbox. The scenario generally looks something like this: You receive an email from Amazon, letting you know that there has been a delay with your recent order. The email helpfully provides a link you can click for tracking information. The problem is, you don’t remember placing an order with Amazon recently. This email could just as easily be from a financial institution advising you of a problem with your account, or from Facebook asking you to update your information, or even from a business associate asking you to verify or send sensitive information. The one thing they all have in common? They’re fake. Clicking on the link embedded in one of these emails will lead to your system being infected with something nasty, your data or identity being stolen, or the account tied to the company or institution the hacker is posing as being compromised. The best way to protect yourself and your business from potentially dangerous consequences are to only proceed with caution. Instead of clicking the link provided, go the website directly in question to check your recent account activity, or call your bank using a contact number from their website, not the contact information included in the email. Phishing scams continue to be a favorite method of hackers because they continue to have a high success rate. Taking an extra moment to re-read an email that feels just a little off, and double-checking the message’s legitimacy can save you from one tremendous headache. Want to learn more about protecting yourself and your business against email scams? Contact us at {email} or {phone}. We’re the IT professionals businesses in {city} trust.

Just as technology continues to change the way we live our lives in general, the world of home security is also affected by technological progress. Innovations that once would have seemed like the stuff of sci-fi movies now exist to help bolster home security and provide homeowners with greater piece of mind. These five technological advances, in particular, have changed the home security landscape. Remote Monitoring Thanks to remote monitoring, you can now keep an eye on your home or business even if you’re halfway around the world. Cutting-edge monitoring systems can send you real-time picture and video of any room in your home or business, and many newer systems enable you to send intrusion or fire alerts to authorities and arm or disarm your security system remotely. Smart Door Locks Based on a Bluetooth or wi-fi connection, smart door locks can perceive your presence automatically based on the proximity of your key fob or smartphone to unlock your doors for you. Higher-end smart door locks can also communicate with your home’s automated systems to help regulate them; for example, an intelligent door lock can have your smart thermostat enter its energy saving mode when you’re away from home. One important note: because wi-fi smart locks are as susceptible to security breaches as any other Internet-connected device, Bluetooth smart locks are more secure, although they offer fewer features. Home Sensors Based on motion detection, home sensors can detect the presence of visitors wanted and unwanted, and can both alerts you to intruders and open your doors for you. For security, you can set up home sensor kits in your hallways and near doorways; when armed, these motion-activated systems will send alerts to your smartphone or tablet via e-mail or text, letting you know right away if you’re the target of an attempted break-in. For further deterrence, many home sensor systems come equipped with sirens to scare off would-be burglars. Fingerprint Scanners Taking a page directly from sci-fi classics, fingerprint scanning is becoming increasingly available in a myriad of devices. Many smartphones now can be locked with fingerprint credentials, and home security technology is quickly following suit. Fingerprint door locks have been growing in popularity as of late; compared to Bluetooth or wi-fi smart locks, locks that rely on fingerprints to unlock add some extra security from potential hackers. Smart Garage Systems Similar to smart door locks, garages also have the ability to be controlled and protected through smart locking technology. These systems work by connecting a network adapter to your home’s router; once registered, this adapter will allow you to control your garage door directly from your smartphone. This technology makes it easier to keep those out who shouldn’t have access to your home while letting you let children or service providers into your home when you’re away. Curious how secure your place of business is? The experts at {company} can help you evaluate your security protocols. Contact us today at {email} or {phone}.

An overview of the many different reasons why when it comes to cyber security, most Americans should be downright ashamed of themselves. If you spend the majority of your life in the digital world, as millions of people around the world do each day, cyber security should always be one of your top priorities. You would never hand a stranger your credit card and the keys to your home, trusting that they aren’t going to rob you blind – yet that is essentially what so many people do when they fail to take the appropriate steps to protect themselves online. In an era where it is sadly all too common to wake up and find out about yet another massive data breach that has struck one of the biggest organizations on the planet, Americans, in particular, should be ashamed of themselves concerning their current cyber security efforts. America and Cyber Security: The Situation According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, most Americans aren’t just “lax” about cyber security – they’re alarmingly ambivalent. In a study that touched base with over 1000 adults in the country, it was revealed that even people who have experienced privacy breaches in the past cannot be bothered to protect themselves in the modern cyber world. The study revealed that only 12% of those who responded use a password management program, for example, despite the fact that they’re incredibly easy to use and are mostly inexpensive. Instead of protecting themselves against hacking and phishing attempts with strong, randomized passwords, people are choosing to use the same old tired “easy to guess” passwords instead. To make matters worse, a lot of respondents said that they used either similar or identical password across multiple accounts – yet another invitation to hackers to come into your life and take anything that they can. Another unfortunate finding had to do with the fact that most Americans fail to update apps or operating systems as soon as they become available – despite the fact that it’s easy to automate the process of doing so. Most app and OS updates don’t just include new features – they also fix significant security vulnerabilities as quickly as possible. The most alarming insight revealed by the study is that this is even common among younger users. It’s easy to see that this is a problem that, if anything, is only going to get worse over time as young people age and carry these poor habits with them into the future. If anything, the only people you should be happy for are the hackers as they’re about to inherit an entire generation of individuals who seem to care very little about their online privacy and cyber security in general. {company} is incredibly proud of our position as an industry leader regarding all the IT news, tips and tricks that you need to live the digital life you’ve always wanted. If you’re in {city} and have additional questions about this or any other related topics, don’t delay – contact us today by phone at {phone} or by email at {email}.

The seriousness of employee theft should lead us to examine what we have been doing and what more we can do How big is the problem? We can’t do everything ourselves, so we need to be able to hire people who can make our companies the best they can be. In order to do our work, these employees need access to our stock, our buildings and properties, even our computers. But with all the efforts put into hiring the best people for the job, there is a continuous, ongoing, staggeringly large problem of computer theft. Statistics say that employee theft in America by employees alone accounts for $50,000,000,000 worth of loss, which is about 7% of all revenue. Three out of every four employees have stolen at least once from their employer, and about a third have stolen at least twice. The median amount stolen is about $175,000. Employees account for almost half of unauthorized inventory shrinkage, which isn’t as surprising when you consider they have the best access. What’s wrong with what we’ve been doing? Yet even knowing the large scale of the problem, business still are not finding the best ways to reduce the problem significantly. Most of the theft which is finally brought to the attention of management was not found because of anti-theft efforts. More than 40% of the found fraud was either discovered completely by accident or because of a tip from another employee. Drug and criminal testing can eliminate some obvious potential thieves, because you can eliminate people feeding a drug addiction and people who have already been convicted of theft. Other low-tech ways to reduce theft include making sure that no employee works alone, and keeping an employee tip line. Getting to know your employees makes them less likely to steal because they appreciate your attention; letting them know you makes them less like to steal because they are less likely to steal from someone they know as a person instead of just an employer. While all these efforts have had some minor successes, they have not put a dent in the problem. What can we do better? The most obvious way to use technology to help is by having cameras monitor the activities in all of the physical work areas. Even the trash should be monitored, as this is one of the ways employees can take property out witout being seen. Video analytics that accompany a monitoring system can catch unusual transactions at the point of service, making it easier to monitor those. This will particularly help find employees using their position to steal by letting their colleagues get past the pay points either without paying, or without paying enough. Automated inventory tracking can help cut down on theft by showing what should be in the inventory in real time, and it cuts down on the human error normal in doing inventory. This cuts down loss in both those ways. Refining the business policies while implementing these new methods can also help cut down theft as people are clear about what is expected and that they are being monitored. Get help If you are in {city} you can call {company} at {phone}. Contact us at {email} to learn more.

A discussion of the concept of managed services security, including some important factors that your organization MUST be aware of. In an effort to remain technologically competitive in increasingly crowded industries, more and more businesses are turning to managed services providers to meet these needs. While being able to leverage the power of modern IT to their advantage without a massive upfront expense is attractive, the real benefits of managed services for many businesses can all be summed up in a single and critical word: security. There is a host of different ways that organizations are leveraging managed services to their advantage regarding keeping themselves protected that you need to be aware of before you make the jump yourself. Patches and Updates According to a Cyber Security Report conducted by Cisco in 2017, one of the most important steps that a business needs to take to protect itself involves evaluating which patches and updates are most important to network safety and then placing them at the top of their “to-do” list immediately. This is an area where managed services providers shine, as all of this is traditionally handled “behind-the-scenes.” You don’t have to worry about whether you’re using the latest version of a program, or whether your in-house IT team has remembered to upgrade to the newest version of an operating system. Because all of your resources are being provided on demand, you always have the latest patches and updates – no questions asked. Data Mining Another important way that managed services providers are offering a superior level of security to businesses has to do with data mining. According to a 2016 study on data breaches conducted by the Ponemon Institute, many of the most severe violations were only able to attain that status because they took so long to identify and rectify. Managed services providers, on the other hand, allow even smaller organizations to take a proactive approach to security. Teams of experts quickly sift through data from thousands of different points to weed out false positives and to identify patterns and suspicious behavior that could be leading to an incident. This not only helps businesses avoid the attack altogether but take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future. Protected From All Angles Finally, managed services providers also help businesses continue to stay protected as their IT needs grow and evolve. If a company migrates into the cloud, it exposes them to data breaches in an entirely new way – one that their existing methods will not be sufficient to cover. Managed services providers can offer intrusion detection, security invents and incident management, identity management, firewalls and more to help a company cover all of their bases, even while those bases are still in flux. As managed services become more popular in the not-too-distant future, managed services security is going to get critical to the future health and prosperity of your organization. If you’re in {city} and would like to find out more information about this or any other security-related topic, or if you’d just like to discuss your own personal situation with an expert in the field, don’t delay – contact {company} today, either by email at {email} or by phone at {phone}. Used by permission

Mobile devices can create significant security and management challenges, especially if they hold confidential information or can access the corporate network. Require users to password protect their devices, encrypt their data, and install security apps to prevent criminals from stealing information while the phone is on public networks. Be sure to set reporting procedures for lost or stolen equipment.

Free Ransomware Decryption Tools to Get Your Business Back on Track Free ransomware decryption tools are essential for removing malware from your computer and allowing your system to work once again.   Ransomware will wreak havoc on your computer system and your data files. While there are some preventative measures, you can take to avoid ransomware, once your system is infected with this type of malware your data can be held hostage. The ransomware demands a bitcoin fee that most IT security experts suggest you don’t pay because it rarely works. Your better choice is to find a ransomware decryption tool that can help you get back your data and get your system back under firm control. Creators of ransomware are looking to take data to steal identities or to find out sensitive information. While the name implies that a ransom is requested and could be paid, there is little proof that paying a ransom is going to get your system back to where it needs to be. The Wildfire Ransomware Decryption Tool Wildfire was developed after cyber criminals made away with $80,000 over a period of a month and infected more than 5,600 systems with malware. Kaspersky Lab was able to seize the server along with all the encryption keys, building a ransomware decryption tool in the process. The Chimera Ransomware Decryption Tool Chimera utilizes working decryption keys that were discovered on an internet forum. IT security experts were able to test the decryption keys and found that they were effective at removing ransomware. The Rannoh Ransomware Decryption Tool The Rannoh decryption tool cleans your system of CryptXXX and Rannoh malware. There has to be one file that hasn’t been corrupted by the CryptXXX malware in order of the Rannoh decryption tool to be effective. Otherwise, you’ll have to try a different decryption tool to clean your system. The CoinVault Ransomware Decryption Tool If you have files encrypted with CoinVault or Bitcryptor, you can utilize the CoinVault decryption tool to remove the malware from your system. This tool includes more than 14,000 decryption keys and is highly useful when your system has been compromised by malware. Free ransomware decryption tools are prevalent on the internet, and it’s important to find the right tool for your specific needs. Ransomware can cause serious problems with your system, steal all of your data and give you few options to deal with the malware. With new malware always being created, decryption tools are always trying to stay ahead of the game by coming up with solutions to the most likely problems you’ll encounter. When strategies in place didn’t keep your system free from malware, it’s important to remove the malware as soon as possible using a free decryption tool. Used by permission

The increased adoption of chip cards has fraudsters moving online, but businesses are fighting back with improved online security. Security is one of the biggest concerns of our IT clients and for a good reason. The more the digital age advances, the more inventive criminals become. As one vulnerability is addressed, numerous others pop up. The adoption of credit card chips and the subsequent behavior of offenders – moving from targeting brick and mortar businesses to targeting online companies – is a perfect example of this kind of phenomenon. Credit Card Chips Push Criminals From Brick And Mortar To Online Stores In a recent article in SF Gate, statistics on the use of stolen credit card data point to a growing trend in online fraud attempts. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, the use of stolen data for making unauthorized purchases was up 40 percent last year, a substantial increase. Because the number of attempts at fraud are increasing so drastically, merchants are being forced to respond in kind – spending billions of dollars to protect online customers from criminals trying to use stolen credit card information. Some speculate that the rise in online fraud attempts is related to the increase in the adoption of chip cards. If you have gotten a new credit card or debit card, chances are you have seen the chips that indicate new security measures put in place by banks and financial institutions. The chips are supposed to make it harder to counterfeit credit cards. The success of credit card chips in protecting consumers seems to be pushing criminals to attempt fraud where they can be more successful – online. Businesses Are Pushing Back With Improved Security Financial institutions and online retailers and businesses are increasing their spending on the safety to combat the fraud perpetrated by criminals. According to Juniper Research, by 2020 these organizations will spend approximately $9.2 billion dollars on fraud-detection systems. If the estimate is accurate, it will indicate and increase in spending of 30 percent over the next three years. Businesses are taking the problem seriously, as are security technology companies. Multiple approaches are necessary to keep up with the ever-changing strategies of fraudsters, including improved authentication processes, better detection methods, temporary number replacements for credit cards, and even AI and machine learning to identify potential fraud. Successfully combating fraud requires combining the latest security technologies with good old fashioned human interaction. While security companies and businesses are leveraging a variety of technology tools to detect and deter fraud, they are also incorporating human analysts to look for potential fraud and to contact card owners to verify purchases and identities. Keeping Up With The Criminals Is An Ongoing Process We appreciate how concerned our clients are with their security. It only makes sense to be diligent when you and your clients are at risk. But we also like to stress that fraud – while a serious problem that needs to be addressed is a problem that will never be fully eliminated. With or without technology, there will always be criminals attempting to take advantage of businesses and their customers. As your {city} IT company, we are focused on your security. We keep up to date on the latest threats and security solutions, and you can depend on us to do what is necessary to minimize your risk. If you have questions or concerns about your business or your customers, please contact our team at {company} today at {phone} or {email}. We are your resource for IT security in the {city} area.

Prevent access or use of business computers by unauthorized individuals. Laptops can be particularly easy targets for theft or can be lost, so lock them up when unattended. Make sure a separate user account is created for each employee and require strong passwords. Administrative privileges should only be given to trusted IT staff and key personnel.