What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the cloud? What are some legal ramifications? Where is your data exactly? Is it encrypted? All these questions need to be posed before uploading your information online.

This video of Tyler Pitchford (co-founder of the Azureus BitTorrent client, and a practicing appellate attorney) speaking at Shmoocon 2013 highlights not only the pros and cons of the “Cloud”, but everything in between as well. Enjoy.

<<Warning : This video contains some swearing.>>

The newest unsolicited email to come into circulation is purportedly by Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit. The Malware developers (not Microsoft) convincing try to get unsuspecting users to run the enclosed attachment in order to validate their email address as part of Microsoft’s newly developed security measure.

This email comes with the attachment Microsoft_STF_install.zip, which contains the TROJ/AGENT-AANA Trojan Horse. If you receive this email, DO NOT open the attachment. Simply delete the email instead.
 
 

Takeaway

Email should always be treated with scrutiny.

• Verify the email - Check that the email is indeed intended for you, and not a handful of random people.
• Proofread the email - Often times, malware laden emails contain spelling or gramatical errors, or both. This is often a very good tip-off that something isn’t right.
• Qualify the email -Perform a google search on the email(s) in question. (ie. Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit email). You’d be interested with what you find. Often times these scams or phishing emails are already posted online as warnings to the general public.

If you can believe it, however, there is actually a much better reason to make the switch to managed services. That’s because, even though you’re trading billable hours for a steady monthly rate for your technology maintenance and repair, it isn’t your cash flow that’s affected most – it’s the actual technology itself.

Here is why: When you make the switch to a managed services agreement, your outsourced IT team no longer has to worry about keeping track of every minute they spend at your company. Instead, they are simply tasked with keeping things running smoothly. As a result, they do fewer technology repairs, and more proactive maintenance on your technology. In other words, they prevent issues from coming up in the first place.

That’s a small detail, but it makes all the difference because it means fewer emergencies and a lot less downtime for your company. Isn’t it time you talked with us about managed services?

 Those are certainly issues you have to look out for if you aren’t working with a reputable technology partner, but there is actually another hidden IT cost that’s a lot more prevalent: chronic issues that slow down you and your employees as you go about your work.

 There are literally hundreds of issues that could fall under this category, but some of the most common include:

Because the delays tend to be short, they never actually get dealt with or show up on a profit or loss statement. Make no mistake, though, they can easily add up. What is a few hours of your time worth? What about the wages and salaries you are paying to your staff for those hours?

Now is a great time to stop paying hidden IT costs for things that don’t work the way they’re supposed to.

Why not call us today and see how we can help?

That’s understandable, to a degree. If your outsourced IT vendor isn’t giving you the service and pricing you deserve, it makes sense to look elsewhere. Don’t make the mistake of trying to handle technology in-house, though – this is literally the worst alternative to having a great outsourced IT team.

Why is it such a big mistake to look after your own technology? For one thing, it tends to lead to infrequent maintenance, incorrect settings, and lots of tiny problems that add up over time. In other words, because most non-IT employees aren’t sure what to do, they end up making small problems worse, and aren’t prepared to deal with bigger ones.

More to the point, though, is that managing your own IT tends to be a big drain on your schedule. It wastes a lot of time that you could be spending on other things, like billing, customer service, or just running your company. The same holds true if you delegate IT work to other employees who don’t know much about technology; they spend lots of their workday doing things they aren’t paid to, and neither job gets done as well as it should.

While it always makes sense to hold out for the right technology team, don’t make the common mistake of going without one altogether.

In fact, if you want to choose a technology partner that you’re going to be happy with months and years down the road, then what you should really look for is a reputation for service and fair pricing.

The reasoning behind this advice is surprisingly simple: Any good IT team can work on common types of technology, and can probably even learn about any specialized or custom technology you might have. What is harder to find, however, is a vendor that is reliable and responds to your questions and requests in a timely manner.

If you don’t believe us, look at the reviews for some well-known IT companies. You’ll find that the best ones stand out not just for what they know, but the way they deliver value to their clients month after month. They do the job and fix problems, but they also stay in touch and have consistent billing practices.

Are you judging IT vendors on the right criteria?

With the smartphone market literally exploding with users, it’s no wonder that Cyber criminals are trying to cash in on the action as well.

It has long been known that there are more inherant risks associated with online banking than by physically going to the bank. However, with cellular technology advancing, and people wanting more apps for their phones, banking institutions came up with mobile apps for their customer base.

Although this has offered more flexibility for the average consumer, it has also opened a sort of “pandora’s box” in terms of mobile-malware.

However, even with these conveniences at hand, many people are still hesitant to install these apps on their mobile devices, and for good reason. “According to Metaforic, 68% of smartphone owners who have not yet adopted these apps are holding back due to security fears, while only 12% believe that the effort of downloading and installing such apps doesn’t justify the convenience.” This coupled with the fact that both Android Malware is up 3,325% (that’s not a typo), and that 92% of the top iphone apps have been compromised makes for a pretty compelling argument against mobile banking.

In fact, Gartner Security has now reported the first publicly announced banking app losses, to the tune of $78M+. (stolen via automated back-end servers targeting people’s online accounts). The forseable trend is that this will continue to be the case as mobile apps gain in popularity and capabilities.

“As the convenience of smartphones fuels the surging popularity of mobile banking apps, it’s clear that the average user may not understand the risks involved, and is not taking the security steps needed to protect their mobile devices,” said Dan Stickel, CEO of Metaforic. “Unless mobile apps are immunized against unwanted modifications, both users and banks face potentially staggering financial risks. It’s just a matter of time until a major breach occurs.”

However, it seems as though you don’t even have to be going anywhere in order to receive travel confirmation emails in your inbox. You guessed it. Email malware!

The latest attempt by malware peddlers is in the form of a KLM airline email ticket. It even goes as far as using a layout that is about 95% accurate to the original. However, there is critical information missing on the fake ticket that the malware developers have so thoughfully included in the email attachment. Yah, right! (KLM-e-Ticket.zip).





Antivirus developers had analyzed two binary files extracted from two different KLM attachments, and both of them grant remote shell access to the compromised machine via telnet to port 8000. It turns out that these binaries are not limited to the KLM email virus either, as they have also been used with spam campaigns impersonating Microsoft and Telstra as well.

“Although this scam does not specifically target KLM customers, those who have made recent ticket purchases as well as recipients who may fear that an unauthorized credit card purchase has been made could fall victim,” the researchers point out.

Take Away

Always keep an vigilant eye on your email, and exercise caution. If you are unsure as to whether a purchase was made online, contact your financial institution.

Everyone has heard of someone being charged exorbant rates for text messages. This is called “Premium Text Billing” or “Toll Fraud”, and has become the most prevalent type of mobile malware within the past year.

Just one family of Toll Fraud malware, FakeInst, is estimated to have successfully stolen millions of dollars from people in Russia, the Middle East, and Europe.


Privacy among Mobile users is a growing concern

Mobile privacy concerns continue to climb as a result of aggressive advertising techniques, including pushing out-of-app ads and accessing personal info without the user consent. It is estimated the although 5% of applications utilize these aggressive advertising techniques, the apps that are known to contain these techniques have already been downloaded over 80 million times.


Geography and Human Behavior linked to malware risk

Not only does geographic location play a big role in Toll Fraud, but also Human Behavior. As it turns out, people in Russia, Ukriane and China have a significantly higher likelihood of encountering malware than anywhere else. Application downloading seems to also be another very important factor. The more likely the user is to download an app from an untrusted source, the higher the likelihood that their mobile device will become compromised.

The act of visiting unsafe links from mobile devices is one of the most common ways to get infected. Web based threats such as phishing are able to target PC and Mobile based users equally, making it extremely easy to replicate the threat on a different platform. It was also found that 4 out of 10 users have clicked on a unsafe link within the past year.


Summary

With mobile devices quickly becoming the main communication medium for many people, the percentage of malware specifically designed for those devices will continue to climb. It is paramount that users adhere to guidelines regarding safe downloading and browsing (such as that of computers). By putting these guidelines into practice, only then will the end user be able to adequately prevent malware from compromising their mobile device.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Cloud Computing. What is it? How does it work? Is your computer safe while using it? Let’s address some of the questions – First, cloud computing is basically your computerized data (songs, e-books, mail, and other documents) available to you with internet connection, sharable, and ‘floating’ around numerous devices that you can use to access it. Believe it or not, cloud computing has been around longer than people realize, and if your careful, you can keep your data safe and prolong the useful lifespan of your system.

 
Protecting Important Files with Cloud Computing

Second and what many may not know, is that there are many applications that we use on a regular basis that are cloud based. For example, Google Docs., online gaming, even certain networking sites are on a cloud and you could have some very important data on any of them. This is data that could be very detrimental if it is lost or stolen, so a cloud provider must have sufficient security and data recover measures in place. Mechanical or natural disasters could easily destroy the information on your computer, but storing it off-site in the cloud will provide backup and safe storage you need. To learn more about safe storage methods visit dell.

It’s also important that you never share your log in information with anyone, even if they say they’re performing maintenance, or updates. Some of the security measures will depend on your own caution, and your provider will never ask you to provide sensitive information. Cloud technology is being used for more and more applications, and the proper usage can help you protect important information and extend the life of your computer.

 
Not Just Any Old Password

With that in mind, take your password to the next level. Make it super strong using a long mixture of letters and numbers. Create your own phrase with or without spaces and test out the security strength. It’s better to come up with an unbreakable password like ‘my2Yorkiesatemy09Sandwich’ which will hold much more weight in an instance of hacking next to a wimpy phrase like ‘ilovedogs.’

There’s also greater defense when using a two-step verification password as well. Not only do you need to know the password but the security question too. Many online banks use this, and also remind you to change it after a few months. Also, use different passwords for different jobs. This way, if someone gets at your information on a certain website, they won’t be able to use it to get at the things you have stored in the cloud.

 
Regular Check-ups

Lastly, malicious viruses can pop up and in this case your cloud computing experiences will not be fun. Your computer running smoothly will assist so that your uploading and downloading processes won’t be compromised. And as mentioned before, you aren’t alone in this process either. The cloud service provider should be working on their end to ensure the viruses and malware don’t infect your information while it’s in the cloud (which means you have people watching the system 24/7 to protect your data), but you will still be responsible for the performance of your own computer.

 

Author Bio

David Malmborg works with Dell. When he isn’t working he enjoys hiking, spending time with family and researching new technology. He is currently learning more about converged infrastructure and recommends following this link for more information.