Slingshot This threat, codenamed Slingshot, targets MikroTik routers and utilizes a multi-layer attack to spy on the PCs connected to the router. By replacing a library file with a malicious alternative that subsequently downloads other pieces of the malware, Slingshot is able to bypass security solutions unscathed. It then launches a two-pronged attack, one leveraging low-level kernel code to give an intruder carte blanche access to a system, the second managing the file system and preserving the malware – allowing it to continue. If this sounds impressive, it is – not only does this attack access additional code from an encrypted virtual file system, it does so without crashing its host. This quality and complexity led the security experts at Kaspersky Lab to conclude that this attack was state-sponsored. Based on reports, this malware can collect just about any data that it wants to from its target, from keystrokes to passwords to screenshots to network traffic. According to MicroTik, their routing firmware has received a patch for this vulnerability, but it is still unknown if routers from other manufacturers are affected. If they have, Slingshot could suddenly become a much larger issue than it already is. Other Router Malware Of course, Slingshot isn?t the only issue that affects router security. The fail-safes and security measures baked into routers have been historically unreliable. This can largely be attributed to manufacturers building numerous products with no comprehensive strategy concerning their security and keeping it up-to-date. However, this doesn?t mean that the user is off the hook, either. It is up to them to actually update the router?s firmware, not something that is necessarily their first, second, or even twenty-third thought. Furthermore, the updating process can often be challenging, as well as time-consuming. Hackers will often change the DNS server setting on a router in order to attack a network. Rather than directing you to the secure website you are trying to navigate to, the altered DNS will instead send you to a phishing site. Since these sites are often convincingly created and designed to fool their targets, you may not realize you are being victimized until it has already happened. In addition to attacks like these, hackers will also often use methods like barraging their targets with ads or infiltrating them via drive-by download. Some attacks leverage cross-site request forgery, where a hacker will develop a rogue piece of JavaScript that will attempt to load a router?s web-admin page to alter the router?s settings. How to Mitigate Damage to You If you suspect that you are the target of a router-based attack, your first step should be to confirm that something is wrong. While there are assorted ways to accomplish this, the most effective is to check if your DNS server has been changed. To check, you?ll need to access your router?s web-based setup page, and from there, the Internet connection screen. If your DNS setting is ?automatic,? you should be okay. However, if it says ?manual,? with custom DNS servers entered, you may have a problem. In order to mitigate damage in the case of compromise, you?ll need to make sure that your router matches the specifications set by the manufacturer. To do this, make sure you: Promptly install firmware updates: Keeping your router?s firmware up-to-date will assist you in keeping […]

Change Your Object Defaults PowerPoint lets you personalize your presentations in such a way that you can create an identity for them. Having such an identity for your brand is actually quite important, as if your presentations look similar or have the same format to them, they become easier to build out on a whim. Reformatting all of your objects is a big pain, so you can make this process much easier by changing the object default settings. One of the best examples of this is changing the default sizes of your text boxes to make sure they match your business? branding. The first thing you need to do is provide an example of what the rest of your text boxes will imitate. Change the formatting of a text box to do this. Once you?ve done it, just right-click on the text box and select Set as Default Text Box. When this is finished, the rest of your text boxes will be added to your presentation with the same formatting as the default box. Finding an Object Let?s say that you?ve been working on your presentation for a while now and it?s starting to become difficult finding specific objects. If your objects are grouped together, this task is even more difficult. There is a way to cycle through all of your objects so that you can find the specific one you?re looking for. To do this, just press the Tab key. This selects the next element in the sequence–even if they have been grouped together. This makes finding specific objects much easier than it would be normally. Implement Templates PowerPoint can also help you save time with the implementation of templates. These can reduce the amount of time it takes to format your presentation. It?s a great way to get your presentations done, especially if on a deadline, while maintaining a pleasing appearance. Unfortunately, unless it?s a custom template, it?s unlikely that a built-in template will fit your company?s branding. It?s also possible that some of your prospects might identify it as a template, making you look a little on the foolish side. An easy way to resolve this is by creating a custom template that matches up nicely with your branding. While this is time-consuming, it is definitely worth it–especially if you plan on using it for the foreseeable future. If this isn?t an option, however, it?s best to stick to a simple template so that you can focus primarily on the content and its quality. After all, it?s not a presentation if you don?t have some ideas in it. Nobody is watching your presentation to critique your presentation design; what they really want is to know what you can offer them. For more tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your software, subscribe to White Mountain IT Services?s blog.

For Your Person There are plenty of smart products that are designed to help people stay on top of their health. The most recognizable of this technology are wearable devices that function as tools to help measure something specific about a person?s health. Led by companies like fitbit, many of today?s wearables are designed as multi-function physical training tools. Products like health bracelets, watches, and smart fabrics are designed to connect to the Internet or to an Internet-connected mobile device. The way it works is that each of these devices are built with microprocessors, sensors, and an energy source of some type. Engineers have toiled over the creation of this technology for over a decade, and today, with advancements in each, products are readily available that interest consumers enough to warrant over 125 million wearable units to be shipped in 2017 alone. Some smart products for your body include: Fitness trackers – Even the simplest ones track steps taken and estimated calories burned, while many also monitor distance traveled, sleep quality, and how fast you go. Smart watches – Some have fitness settings, but many of today?s smartwatches have ecosystems that run on apps. They are capable of a lot of useful things. Smart clothes – Most smart clothes are designed for use in exercise. There are self-cooling shirts that trigger when the body temperature rises to a certain temperature, and even yoga outfits that can help you master your form. For Your Transportation Today, a lot of work has gone into smart technology for the automobile. There are now cars that offer anything from face up displays that are easy to interact with, to screens that show two different sets of content depending where you sit in the car, to self-driving capabilities. This just touches what?s possible for future transportation. At this point, however, we are making headway in what will one day be a sector technology will virtually dominate. You don?t have to buy one of these cars to see smart technology working for you. Since 1996, ever car that has been manufactured has been built with an on-board diagnostic system. This innovation allows mechanics to access data about the vehicle. Today, there are several commercially available diagnostic tools that you can use to ascertain the health of your car without taking it to a mechanic. Today?s smart enhancements reach beyond the actual performance of the car, they make the user experience more immersive. Obviously navigation systems, especially those that also provide a simple interface to control the media, temperature, and drive type bring a lot of value to drivers. The use of cameras have also made a big difference for the modern driver. Not only do many cars now come with standard backup cameras, there are other cameras some drivers choose to use to enhance the security of their automobile. That?s not all. The future holds a lot of innovation for the ?smart? car. The addition of augmented reality displays on windshields and in rear-view mirrors will eventually become standard technology that will give the inside of your car a whole different look. More is being done by Google and Apple to integrate user?s smartphones with the car?s onboard computer, allowing users to have a static interface that will eliminate the need for anyone to pick up […]

Leveraging the Assets Available One of your first priorities needs to be to find a solution that fulfills your needs, and to resist the temptation to follow the convenient route and simply find a solution that covers ?enough? of them. After all, even if it actually does cover enough of your needs now, how can you be sure that your needs will still be covered later? This is why you need to select a solution that offers comprehensive coverage that won?t leave you piecing together your software strategy. Most businesses need productivity suites and payroll/accounting software as a base. As operations get more complex, so will the software you use. Many of the top-tier productivity suites have software that can do multiple things for you, so knowing what your needs are, and how software will help, will go a long way toward solidifying a software strategy that will work for your business. Managing Software Licenses It?s important to understand your software licenses to avoid major issues. For example, there?s the possibility that a team member may overstep the terms of your agreement with the software developer or distributor by installing a single license on multiple machines. This kind of mistake can cost your organization a pretty penny. The only way to mitigate negative situations is to be prepared for the worst. One way that you can do that is by getting with your IT administrator and ensure that he/she knows all the rights your organization has to its software. In doing so you will not only gain the peace of mind that your IT admin knows the situation, you will also get someone in-house who is more proficient dealing with licensing and other software problems. Ensuring all your software is registered, licensed, and working optimally has to be at the forefront of your IT department? software plan. Understanding What It Is You Have As mentioned above, software is a big deal for almost every organization, and when it comes to managing the software you rely on, there is a laundry list of the things that you need to know. It?s not just about compatibility and cost, although those are two of the more major factors. To accomplish comprehensive software management, you?ll want to produce a list of software and the requisite licenses they require. In this repository, you will want to break it down by the way the software is stored (endpoint, server, cloud, etc.), and you will want to include everything. From operating systems, to your CRM, to any productivity apps your staff uses. Once you get the list built, with all the licensing information, you have to go back over the list and make sure that all of the software is legally being utilized by your company. This just puts any doubt to rest. It also gives you a chance to set reminders when critical software licenses expire, which is very useful if your IT department is focused on the litany of other issues your business has. You also have to know how your staff uses the software you have; or, more specifically, how they misuse it. Your software costs are more than just how much you pay for your software, they also are manifested in the time spend learning, using, and troubleshooting the software they need to […]

For example, let?s assume you?re in the market for a new piece of business software, but you aren?t sure what your available options are. You?ve done some research online, but you?d really rather talk to someone one-on-one to understand what is potentially available to you. While your conversation seems promising at the start, you soon realize that it has continued far longer than it should have. Making matters worse, it turns out that the solution isn?t the right fit, meaning that you just wasted valuable time for essentially nothing. For a moment, let?s take a step back and assume that you don?t realize what a poor fit the new solution is until it?s already been implemented. You don?t want to waste your investment into it, so you seek out support from the provider. Before you know it, you?re spending more time than ever trying to sort out issues with your provider, playing phone tag and composing emails to them as you try and explain your situation, so it can be fixed. Going through this for one solution would be bad enough – just think what it would be like to go through it for each one you leverage. Do you really have that much time to waste? Plus, each vendor will have their own set of particular contacts and a preference for how you get in touch with them. Don?t you have enough to deal with without keeping track of each vendor and their offering for you, plus all of their points of contact? Of course, you do, which is why you could benefit from a vendor management strategy from White Mountain IT Services. We?ll keep track of your solutions and contacts and handle your wishes on your behalf. We?ll also keep careful documentation of every detail of your arrangements – which vendors you use, the software you have licensed, and the devices you have at your disposal – and take over their management on your behalf. Therefore, the number of contacts you ever need to reach out to concerning your vendors is one, without the chance of being put on hold or just told to repeat the same troubleshooting tasks you?ve already gone through. Rather, one of our technicians will be able to access the information they need to expedite your support process, getting you back in business with minimal time wasted. To make a long story short, with White Mountain IT Services?s vendor management services, you?ll only ever have to call one trusted source to resolve any of your technology and support needs. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 for more information.