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Crypto Ransomware Crypto ransomware works via a particularly insidious approach: it encrypts each of your files individually, ensuring that your access is completely blocked. Then, as any ransomware would, it starts a timer that counts down to when all of these files are set to be deleted. When someone is targeted by crypto ransomware, the only real option is to completely wipe the system and restore from a backup. We will never recommend that someone pays a ransomware demand, as there is no guarantee that even paying it will result in the return of your files. This is part of the reason that we always encourage businesses to keep a backup in the cloud. Extortionware AKA ?doxware,? extortionware operates similarly to how crypto ransomware does. Files are encrypted and payment is demanded, and the same general concepts bleed over. The big difference is that extortionware threatens to leak the encrypted data, rather than delete it. While the leverage this gives the attacker is pretty much the opposite kind than that of crypto ransomware, it has proven to be just as effective in convincing the target to pay up. Locker Ransomware This ransomware seals off access to the user?s entire system, doing nothing to the files themselves but rendering a device essentially useless, save for the capability to pay said ransomware?s demands. This makes it very similar to crypto ransomware, just without the threat of deletion. Scareware Scareware is named primarily due to the tactics it uses to infiltrate its victims? systems. Disguised as some kind of antivirus or other security program, scareware falsely alerts the target to issues present on the device and offers to resolve it for a fee. While not everyone feels that this technically classifies as ransomware, the undeniable similarity in their methods certainly links the two terms together. What You Can Do About It: Protecting your business from ransomware really boils down to a few key best practices: Educate your entire staff: Your team needs to know what to keep an eye out for to spot ransomware preemptively, and how to approach it in order to keep it from successfully taking root.  Keep a backup: If ransomware does manage to encrypt your documents, you will want a backup ready to restore from. Update your software: Ransomware takes advantage of unpatched exploits in order to successfully infiltrate a system. Applying patches and otherwise updating your system can eliminate a lot of these weak points. An exploitative issue like ransomware will stoop to really low levels to carry out its mission. For instance, one in particular has been spotted and coined as CovidLock, as it capitalizes upon a malicious coronavirus tracking application installed on Android devices. However, you can have a reliable resource in your corner to help your business defend itself. White Mountain IT Services is ready to be that resource and reinforce your cybersecurity and attend to your other IT needs. Learn more by reading some of our other blogs and the other content on our website, or by talking to us at (603) 889-0800.

Creating a PDF Document There are a few ways to create a PDF, based on effectively any document you have. The simplest way is to start to ?print? whatever it is you want saved as a PDF, and select Save as PDF as your destination. Mind you, this does not give you the option to edit these PDFs. If you will need to do that while preserving the existing formatting, you will likely need to invest in a dedicated program, which we can help you do. Converting a PDF to a Google Doc or Microsoft Word Document Sometimes, a PDF may need to be edited–more specifically, the text on the PDF–which means that it might help to convert it to the file type that suits your program of choice.  A quick disclaimer: in order to actually convert your PDFs to the Word format, you will need to pay for a subscription to either Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC. Once you have Acrobat installed, simply open the PDF you want to edit, click Export PDF, select Microsoft Word, and then select Word Document. Clicking Export enables you to save your new .docx file where you want it. From there, you are free to make any changes in Word before saving it as a PDF once again. Google Docs can actually open a simple PDF with little trouble, although elements like lists, tables, and footnotes can cause some difficulty. While in your Google Drive account, simply drag your PDF file into the location you want to upload it. Once it is uploaded, right-click it and navigate to Open with > Google Docs. Your newly editable file will be saved with the same name and extension, but a different icon. The few caveats: your document has to be oriented correctly for this to work, and common fonts (like Arial or Times New Roman) work best. For more handy tips, subscribe to our blog! To discuss any of your IT implementations with our professionals, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.

These statistics outline that by allowing employees to work from home, your company will see some very tangible benefits. Like any human resources strategy, however, you?ll need to keep a few considerations firmly in mind to get the most out of it. Treat It Like Business as Usual When you are working with your remote employees, it is important that you don?t focus exclusively on your in-house staff. Maintaining communication with every one of your staff is necessary for your operations to continue, so if anything, you need to encourage your in-house workers to regularly check in with your remote employees and involve them in their processes. You should also avoid the temptation to hold off on meetings. Again, don?t act like anything has changed as a result of your employees working from home. If you have regular meetings at a given time, continue them, and simply use the technology available today to include your remote staff members. Provide the Means to Communicate Speaking of which, it is also important that your remote team members have the tools that allow them to communicate with their contemporaries. If you haven?t already done so, consider switching your telephony to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solution. This will enable your remote staff members access to your business? phone system, rather than using their own for professional purposes. Other useful collaboration tools include things like video conferencing, instant messaging, and (of course) business email. Give Them Access and Tools Your remote workers aren?t going to be capable of being productive if they don?t have access to the necessary resources and applications required to carry out their assigned tasks. Make sure they have this access, either by enabling remote access into their workstation or by providing them with a laptop that they can take with them. It is recommended that, if you elect to take the remote access option, this access is secured through the use of a virtual private network (or VPN). This tool ensures that whether your files and applications are stored on-site or in the cloud, that access to data is available from anywhere a connection can be established. Don?t Forget About Security It is critical for the health of your business that you uphold remote workers to a higher standard for data and network security. Remote work brings increased risk. Using the aforementioned VPN is just one of the many tools that will work to maintain the integrity of your business? digital assets. Another important security measure is to be sure that your remote users are forced into using password best practices for authentication.  Some Suggestions: Hosted VoIP for using phones from any device and anywhere. A VPN for secure connections to the office network. Remote access policies to ensure compliance and security.  Remote terminal access to keep files and applications centralized. Email accessibility for internal and external communication. Conferencing and meeting applications to keep your team engaged. Messaging applications to facilitate easy coworking. G-Suite/Office 365 for document publishing and collaboration. Disaster Recovery solution to prevent productivity-loss issues. Our IT professionals are here to help you extend the reach of your business and do it to ensure that your assets are protected. Reach out to White Mountain IT Services today to kickstart your remote workforce on a path to productivity. Call (603) 889-0800 to […]

Security Considerations Even though you aren?t in the office, you still need to follow the same security protocols and the processes you would need to follow if you were working in the office. In fact, these processes become even more important, as your home network is likely less secure than the one in the workplace. Here are some tips: Be HygienicWe aren?t telling you to brush your teeth or wash behind your ears, we are talking about practicing good security hygiene while you work remotely. Don?t reuse your passwords, use multi-factor (or two-factor) authentication to secure all accounts, and don?t share out information over email if you don?t know for certain who will read it. In other words, all the basics still apply. Be MindfulFor similar reasons, you also need to be extra careful of online scams or phishing attacks while working remotely. Lost business data is lost business data, regardless of where you were when it was left vulnerable. Make sure you are up-to-speed in terms of identifying and mitigating breach attempts. Use a VPNFinally, because you will not be protected by the defenses on the company network, you need to implement a few extras, such as a virtual private network. A VPN uses encryption to conceal the contents of any data you transmit over the Internet, protecting the contents from virtually all attacks. Business Practices Again, as you aren?t in the office, your remote work needs to follow the same processes as it would if you were in-house, and you will need to be more deliberate about carrying them out. For instance: Use Communication and Collaboration Since you are not working alongside your colleagues and coworkers while you are working from home, you should be extra diligent about remaining in contact with them. Use your email, instant messaging, and phone capabilities to keep the rest of the team apprised as you progress with your tasks. Follow ProcessesAs we don?t want anything falling through the cracks as we continue our operations, it is important that each team member sticks to procedures with every task they touch. This will help ensure that all the ?i?s are dotted and each ?t? is crossed, and that things progress productively. Schedule StrategicallyWhile you should still work the amount of time you would be in the office, you may have a little more freedom and autonomy as far as your schedule is concerned. Don?t be afraid to arrange your tasks around any scheduling conflicts you may have, or shuffle your tasks to better fit your productivity levels throughout the day. Personal Wellness Finally, it is crucial that you are able to manage yourself and your time while not in the office environment. Here are a few tips to help you do so, that may be useful to keep in mind. Set LimitsWhile the assumption surrounding remote work is that employees are prone to slacking off, it is also likely that you may be tempted to push yourself a little further than you should with your day to try and accomplish as much as possible. While this is an admirable goal, it isn?t effective if you overwork yourself one day and accomplish almost nothing the next as a result. Moderate yourself and stop when it?s time. Build PatternsProcess is crucial to working effectively from home. […]

We wanted to take a moment and look at what two corporations with particularly large impacts on the IT industry, Google and Microsoft, have done in response to the current pandemic. What Google Has Done Google has taken a very active stance, as far as coronavirus awareness and education are concerned. There is currently a collection on their blog that outlines their ongoing response to the health crisis. Included are an announcement of Google?s tools for students and teachers to continue their work, tips for improved video calls and remote collaboration, as well as a list of resources available to small businesses. Besides these blog posts, Google has also been actively promoting public awareness in their Search results. Any coronavirus-related searches now pull up an SOS Alert, which generates a sidebar next to your results that provides a rundown of the current situation–in this case, an overview of the coronavirus disease, along with symptoms, prevention, treatments, and assorted statistics. Along with this, the current top news stories are committed to coronavirus-related topics, there?s a worldwide graph of cases and more resources on the other side of your results. Your results are littered with relevant tweets, video suggestions, resources for more health information, and news updates. Google has also curated a YouTube playlist, called WFH Essentials, that shows a few tips and tricks to enable productive and focused work from an environment that doesn?t necessarily promote it. Keep in mind that many of these tips aren?t necessarily applicable to the current coronavirus situation, as it is not recommended to socialize publicly at this time. YouTube has also made some adjustments to how YouTube dishes out money to creators, attempting to slow down unhelpful coronavirus content and prevent the spread of misinformation. On the financial side of things, Google has committed over $800 million to SMBs, governments, health organizations, and the healthcare workers who are out and in the thick of things. This $800 million includes commitments to research efforts and the production of personal protective equipment, as well as $340 million dollars? worth of Google Ad credits available to small businesses who have had an active account for the past year. If you have had an active account since the start of 2019, make sure to keep an eye out for a notification to your account. What Microsoft Has Done Microsoft has also put measures in place to spread COVID-19 awareness, incorporating an interactive map into Bing that shares the dispersal of the virus worldwide, and in a more regionalized context for individual countries. This map utilizes information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), as well as Wikipedia. Microsoft has also partnered with the CDC to create a Coronavirus Self-Checker tool to help people evaluate their needs to be tested. This AI-powered tool allows a user to establish if they do indeed have a medical concern, and suggestions on their next steps (but no concrete medical advice). This tool assists in keeping emergency services–already taxed to their maximum capacity–from receiving so many patients whose needs aren?t severe enough for hospitalization. It can be too easy to see companies of such scale as monoliths, untouchable by concerns that influence smaller businesses so easily. COVID-19 has […]