It?s seems unbelievable just how much thought and effort hackers can put into their attacks. Scammers are all over the place, and you can never truly be safe. Here are five scams that you should always be on the lookout for. 1. Be Careful Where You DonateDonations are great ways to show your support for certain causes, and they?re also tax-deductible. However, hackers have been known to take advantage of the people?s generosity. Many will set up fake charity websites that will scam people with good intentions. This money, which was meant to be used to help others, is now funding a hacker?s agenda. To guarantee that you?re donating to a reputable charity, AARP recommends the following: ?Before donating to a charity, make sure it is registered with the Secretary of State and ask how much of the money goes to the charitable fundraiser and how much goes to the charitable purpose.? 2. Look Out for Fake Gift CardsGift cards are often purchased as last-ditch present ideas for birthdays or holidays, but they are also one of the primary ways that scammers will use to make a quick buck off of unwary people. If you see deals on online auction sites for discounted gift cards, you should stay away from them, as they could easily be stolen, making them worthless. Make sure that you only purchase gift cards from trusted, licensed vendors. Plus, you want to make sure that the cashier can check the balance of the card before purchase, so that any cards placed on the shelves by a thief don?t play you for a fool. 3. Track Your PackagesIf you?ve ever ordered something online, you?ll know that it can be tricky to arrange for packages to be delivered to your residence while you?re home. After all, what?s stopping a thief from walking to your front porch, picking up your package, and taking off down the road? It?s unlikely that the thief would know what?s in the box, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and perhaps all they want is a way to make a quick buck. To keep this from becoming a problem, ask that your package require a signature upon delivery, or have it shipped to your work address, just in case nobody is home. 4. Watch for Credit Card SkimmersSome thieves will use credit card skimming devices to steal your data from ATMs or point-of-sale terminals. This means that you should probably be shopping with a credit card over a debit card, but more than anything else, cash trumps this card skimming tactic. It?s also helpful to take note of the device that you?re using to pay with a card to ensure that it hasn?t been tampered with. 5. Don?t Fall for Bogus DealsHere?s one last tip that might be one of the most basic: an offer that?s too good to be true is probably just that. A purchase that seems like the deal of a lifetime might be nothing but a scammer who wants to make off with your goods or your cash. Remember that if there?s so much as a hint of skepticism concerning your purchase, you should approach the situation with a hefty dose of skepticism. Stay Safe OnlineThe Internet is full of threats, so the best way to stay safe is […]

Benefit 1: Fewer Support NeedsAs ?maintenance? can be loosely defined as making sure that something continues to operate as intended, it only makes sense that maintaining something is a good way to ensure that its function is preserved. This can be seen in your IT, as regular maintenance can prevent irksome issues and other problematic situations from disrupting your business operations and requiring assistance from support. Benefit 2: Maintenance Leads to Monitoring, Which Leads to DetectionThere?s a pretty natural progression from maintaining a solution to monitoring it for issues. Furthermore, when your information technology is maintained, the issues that cause downtime and other problems can be identified and resolved before they cause any adverse effects. Applying software patches and security updates also helps block incoming issues that are more easily avoidable with regular maintenance. Benefit 3: Better Decision-Making CapabilitiesIt?s no secret that an unstable environment makes it more difficult to make decisions, let alone the right ones. This is no different when the environment in question is your IT infrastructure. A well-maintained network means that you will not be forced to choose between resolving one issue over another. Furthermore, the MSP is more likely to be familiar with issues that will arise, meaning that they are more able to resolve these issues without the added expense of an onsite visit. Reach out to White Mountain IT Services to see how we can help you maintain your network and enjoy these benefits. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 today.

When looking at your option, you?ll quickly discover that tape backup is the most commonly used method, but it pales in comparison to what a backup solution like BDR (Backup and Disaster Recovery) can do. Granted, having tape backup is better than not having any data backup at all. However, you could be holding your business back and putting your data in jeopardy if you don?t have a more proactive solution. BDR Establishes a Crucial Recovery Point ObjectiveThe recovery point objective is the time it takes to have a successful restoration of your business?s data infrastructure following a disaster. How much data can you afford to lose following a breach or data loss incident? Of course, the answer to this question should be zero, or a negligible amount, but tape doesn?t allow for this. With tape backup, you could easily lose an entire day?s worth of data, since tape backups are so resource-intensive that they?re often performed after hours. Alternatively, cloud-based BDR takes backups of your data as often as every fifteen minutes, and since they only take snapshots of data that?s been changed since the last backup was taken, this process is minor enough to not interrupt operations. BDR Allows for a Fast Data Recovery Speed Tape backups are often so large that they could take anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire day to deploy. This means that you?ll be experiencing more downtime–i.e., time not spent working as intended. Compound this by the number of employees you have and you have a significant cost that could break your budget. Thus, it makes sense to take measures that ensure you experience minimal downtime. This is the advantage of cloud-based BDR. Since your data can be recovered instantaneously through the cloud, you can get back in business as soon as possible following an incident. Plus, you don?t have to worry about not having extra equipment on hand to access your restored data, as the BDR device itself can serve this purpose. BDR Offers Off-Site StorageOften times, organizations using tape backup will store their backup tapes on-site. While this is convenient, it can become problematic in the event of a crippling disaster such as a fire or flood–one that damages your facility. Backing up locally on your network can also be problematic, as you could lose access to your network for a host of reasons. This is why off-site storage is considered a best practice. With BDR, your data is stored both off-site in a secure data center, and in the cloud for easy access, making it an ideal solution that places your data at minimal risk. To learn more about our Backup and Disaster Recovery solution, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

A new malware swept across the globe Tuesday, incorporating facets of many ransomwares that have made headlines recently. While it originally appeared to be a variant of the Petya ransomware, it has been determined that it shares more in common with WannaCry. However, ?NotPetya,? as it has been named, has a few additional features that experts say make it worse than either of its predecessors. Why NotPetya Isn?t Really a RansomwareThe first clue that researchers had that NotPetya had a different motivation was the fact that the ransom only demanded the Bitcoin equivalent of $300. Secondly, the only means of getting the decryption key was to send an email to an address hosted by German email provider Posteo. Despite the lack of preparation the payment method appeared to have, NotPetya itself was clearly designed to be able to infiltrate as many networks as possible and do maximum damage once inside. A Hybrid Hacking AttackSince the attack commenced, researchers have ascertained that despite its initial similarities with Petya, NotPetya shares many traits with other malicious programs. Like WannaCry, the attack that affected much of Europe, NotPetya leverages EternalBlue. EternalBlue is a National Security Agency hacking tool that targets unpatched systems and steals the passwords that allow administrator access. In addition to EternalBlue, NotPetya also utilizes EternalRomance, another code that was stolen from the NSA. Once NotPetya has infected one computer, it extracts passwords from its memory or the local filesystem to allow itself to spread–including onto updated and patched Windows 10 systems. How To Protect Your FilesFirst off, don?t expect that you can retrieve your files just by paying the ransom. Even if those responsible for NotPetya intended to keep their word and return them once paid, Posteo has shut down the provided email account victims were to receive their keys from. As a result, unless a victim was already following certain best practices, their files are as of yet unrecoverable. However, this does not mean that everyone is vulnerable to this attack. Before the EternalBlue and EternalRomance exploits were distributed on the dark web, Microsoft had already released patches for the vulnerabilities. However, if these patches were not applied, a user?s systems were (and are) still vulnerable. The best method to avoid infection from this kind of attack is to ensure your users understand the importance of cyber security efforts, and that all of your business? systems are reinforced against the latest threats by keeping your defenses up-to-date. Furthermore, even an infected user is not without hope if they have been backing up their files. If they have done so, all they have to do is disconnect their computer from the Internet, reformat their hard drive and restore their data from their backup solution. However, for this to work, you have to also be sure that your backups are up-to-date, and that your backup is stored in an isolated location, separate from your network. White Mountain IT Services has the experience and expertise to help prevent you from becoming a victim of a malware like this, whether we help you manage your backups or help educate your users to avoid attacks like these in the first place. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 today.

Before Proceeding: We strongly advise against disabling the Windows Password Screen, under all circumstances. What may seem like an inconvenience that wastes your time, may actually prevent your personal data from falling into the wrong hands. Furthermore, an additional word of caution: this scenario works best for a personal PC that not on a network of any kind, has minimal chance of theft, and only a single user. If you try to enact the following steps on a workstation, you may find that you can?t, due to network settings. When making such major changes regarding the security of your work computer, be sure to first check with your IT administrator. We also don?t recommend doing this to a laptop you travel with. If you’re okay with the risks to your data security, here’s how to get started: Press Windows+R and then type netplwiz in the form. Then click OK. This will open the User Accounts window. Deselect the box for Users must enter a username and password to use this computer. Next, with the account selected that you wish to disable the Password Screen for, go ahead and click Apply. This will take you to a new window where you will be prompted to enter your password. Do so, enter your password a second time, then select OK, and OK again to exit the User Accounts window. By following these steps, your changes should now be applied. To find out for sure, restart your computer. Upon rebooting, you should now be taken directly to your desktop, completely bypassing the Windows Password Screen. By disabling this screen, you?ll save time from having to remember and enter your Windows password each and every time you access or restart your PC. For more PC tips and best practices, check back at our blog every week.