Ransomware Unlike most other malware threats, ransomware isn?t designed to gain access to a system to steal data. It?s also not really a con, as anyone that is inundated with ransomware is in a real threat to lose their data (or their money). Ransomware is basically one of two types of malware. Some are computer viruses that target the CPU. These are called ?locker? ransomware. The other prevalent type, called ?crypto? ransomware, target and encrypt access to file systems. Whichever strand you get (and there are dozens of different strands) the basic premise is the same. After it is unpackaged to the user?s machine (or network) it encrypts access to data/processing/both and gives the system?s user instructions on how to proceed. The user then has a decision to make, pay the ransom or try to restore the data from their backup platform. Ransomware is such a departure from normal malware in that most strands of malware tries to camouflage itself inside a user’s system or network. Ransomware makes sure you know it?s there. The past few years has seen a huge uptick in the amount of ransomware that has been deployed, both in variant, and in frequency. These attacks have hit many municipalities, businesses, and other organizations, with one purpose, to extort money. With the litany of ransomware attacks conducted on very public forums, it has led people to start to ask, ?How are these attacks carried out?? The answer may surprise you. Delivery You may think that such a devastating computer virus would have to be delivered by those black hat hackers who sit in a basement someplace carrying out some well-concocted scheme to defraud your company. Or maybe it?s sabotage by a disgruntled former worker who didn?t get his/her 25% raise and inexplicably still had access to the network. The truth is that, while it could be either one of those examples, it is most likely the result of an honest act of negligence by someone who has access to your network. The majority of ransomware attacks are perpetrated by hackers that try to spoof legitimate company?s emails. Since these emails seem to be coming from a legitimate place, unwitting end-users click on links or download attachments from these emails, resulting in the malware attached being deployed on the system. The code then goes to work encrypting files or the hard drive. User View (and What They Don?t See) Once the ransomware has inundated the system and the file (or drive) is encrypted, the server will send a message to the victim. Typically, the user will get a notice that their files/computer has been encrypted and the only way to get the file back is to follow the instructions given in the notice. This includes payment arrangements and the dreaded countdown meter. If the user doesn?t meet the demands outlined in the notice, their data will be deleted forever, or their computer will be locked. This, of course is a terrible situation. What the user doesn?t see, however, is that the hacker, who has control over this data or infrastructure is probably not letting this end-user off the hook. The ransomware is bad enough, to exacerbate things for this foolish user, the hacker can now do what they please with that machine. Sometimes they will include directions that […]

VoIP Improves Inter-Department Communication If you?re relying on traditional landline telephones to get in touch with your employees, there are countless events that can make this more complicated and time-consuming. What if the employee isn?t at their desk and you have to leave a voicemail? Furthermore, what if the employee doesn?t see the voicemail until much later on in the day? While this might be fine if the issue isn?t immediate, it doesn?t help urgent situations where you need a response as soon as possible. VoIP doesn?t rely on your traditional handset, as it can be used on multiple different devices even while away from the desk, making it more likely that your calls won?t fall on deaf ears. VoIP Allows for Flexibility Many organizations these days have at least a couple of employees who work out of the office, even if it?s only from time-to-time. If you give these employees options for how to stay in contact with your office, you create more opportunity for collaboration when it matters most. Like we said, VoIP can be used on many different kinds of devices, including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, bringing in a level of flexibility that you could only dream of with a traditional landline solution. VoIP Takes Advantage of Additional Features Can your landline phone service give you access to video conferencing to make remote workers or prospective clients feel like they?re right there in the room with you? What about instant messaging? How about all of the features that a traditional phone service has (conference calling, forwarding, etc.) in addition to all kinds of additional services that enhance the way your team collaborates? VoIP is so dynamic that you can add in any additional features you need as you see fit. It?s not like cable television where you have a bunch of channels you don?t need, but are still paying for–we only want you paying for services you find value with. Does your business want to get started with a quality VoIP solution that can save you money while improving the success of your employees? White Mountain IT Services can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Managed IT Every business decision is made based on available capital. IT professionals–the good ones–can cost a lot of money, prompting many organizations to cut costs by simply going without hiring IT professionals. This presents another assortment of problems, as there is an inherent risk associated with not taking proper care of your technology assets. It also makes technology deployment considerably more difficult, if not impossible. One-way organizations can take advantage of IT services without having a full-fledged IT department is through a managed service provider, or MSP. MSPs provide many services for a fraction of the cost of an internal IT department, including monitoring and maintaining your network and computing infrastructure. Furthermore, you can trust that they will adhere to industry best practices, as when you succeed, they succeed as well. Through preventative care, MSPs help your business find value in one of the most costly parts of operation: your IT. Co-Managed IT Even if your business would rather have an internal IT department, you can still benefit greatly from outsourcing at least a portion of their responsibilities to a MSP. This is called co-managed IT, where your business still maintains an on-site IT staff while outsourcing the remainder of its responsibilities to a managed service provider. This solves a number of issues related to having an on-site IT department. For example, the IT department of a small business is likely to have issues keeping up with maintenance, helping those in need of assistance, and implementing major projects. There?s just not enough time in the day to make all of this happen regularly. Through co-managed IT, you can outsource specific roles to White Mountain IT Services to ensure it all goes off without a hitch. The end result is a more focused in-house team that can handle their primary responsibilities while the rest is handled by trusted IT experts. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Just as one can fish with live bait, lures, or flies, there are different methods that a hacker can use in their phishing attack. Therefore, in order to truly protect your business against phishing attempts, you need to ensure that you and your employees can identify all of the different phishing methods they may encounter. These practices are good to take home with you too, as personal email accounts are also targets of phishing. Deactivation Threats Only too often, an organization will appear to send someone a notice that their account is going to be deactivated, and they have to follow a provided link to log back in – right now – in order to preserve their account. This ?helpful? email will also suggest that they update their credit card information, too. You know? just to be safe. These scams are easy to spot if the service that is being deactivated isn?t one that is actually used. However, some businesses have accounts with a very substantial number of companies, so it can be difficult to keep track without the proper systems in place. These scams are only more convincing if there is actually an account with the service that is apparently reaching out. Even worse, it isn?t uncommon for these scams to come with warnings against scams or claims of security, or one that actually links to the legitimate company website. To fight against these scams, it never hurts to try the URL test. Hover your mouse over any links without clicking, and check to see if the URL matches what you would type into your browser. An even safer course of action is to reach out to the company directly through another method, like sending a fresh email to their support or giving them a call instead to confirm that the email was sent from them. Nigerian Scams These classic scams are the ones that probably first pop into your mind when you hear the phrase ?email scam.? You know the ones – out of the blue, someone contacts you with a request that you assist them in moving a large share of money, with a considerable portion of it going to you for your troubles. These scams are known as such because the first wave of them originated in Nigeria, pertaining to a Nigerian prince. However, instead of riches as their reward, victims of these scams have their own finances stolen, and are even sometimes arrested if they are lured to Nigeria itself, as has happened in the past (after all, they are conspiring to remove Nigerian monies from the country). These scams, like many others, can be foiled by the old adage, ?If it?s too good to be true, it probably is.? However, many people from all walks of life and levels of presumed intelligence have been fooled by these scams. Government Threats Fortunately, most of Orwell?s 1984 can still be considered fiction, but these scams rely on the opinion that Big Brother is very real, and very much out to get us – especially if one is engaged in behavior that isn?t considered acceptable in public context, or is just plain illegal. These phishing scams are the ones that claim that the FBI is about to kick down a user?s door for illegally downloading content or […]

Restoring Closed Tabs Accidentally closing a tab can be annoying–especially if you can?t remember how you got there. Thankfully, there is a shortcut you can use to get back to where you were. This shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + T, which will reopen a recently closed tab. Close a Window or Tab If you are ready to close your window or tab, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + W to close it quickly. Spacebar Scroll If you don?t want to use your mouse wheel to scroll down a page, you can instead use the spacebar. If you hold down the Shift key and tap Space, your screen will jump down in full-screen increments rather than the slow crawl from just the arrow key. Mousewheel Functions You can use your mouse scroll wheel to perform various tasks. One of them involves quickly opening a link in a new tab. You can do this by clicking on it with the mouse scroll wheel (yes, there is a button under it). This saves you the trouble of going through multiple clicks with your mouse. What are your favorite computer tips and tricks? Now?s your chance to share them in the comments.