That?s right, the act of sharing your Netflix password (or your password for other online services like HBO Go, Hulu, etc.) can potentially land you in the hot seat with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. How Did This Happen?Oddly enough, this ruling wasn?t handed down as a result of users illegally sharing their Netflix passwords. Instead, this crackdown on all online password sharing activity was the side effect of a case involving a former Korn Ferry employee seeking legal action against his former work colleagues who still possessed valid user credentials that could be used to steal Korn Ferry data for use in his new firm. Unfortunately, Netflix password sharing became collateral damage as a result of this case. The specifics of this case have to do with a hacking charge under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which effectively empowers the Justice Department to go after and prosecute anyone who violates an online Terms of Service agreement. You know, the pages of gibberish you scroll quickly through so you can get to the bottom and select, ?I understand and have read the Terms of Service.? Many computer users, including one of the three judges on the Ninth Circuit Court, believe that using CFAA in a situation like this is overreaching. In fact, this dissenting judge, Judge Stephen Reinhardt, said this about the ruling: ?This case is about password sharing. People frequently share their passwords, notwithstanding the fact that websites and employers have policies prohibiting it. In my view, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (?CFAA?) does not make the millions of people who engage in this ubiquitous, useful, and generally harmless conduct into unwitting federal criminals.? What?s This Mean For Fans of Password Sharing?This ruling effectively gives companies like Netflix legal precedent to go after users who violate the Terms of Service agreement by sharing their passwords, an arguably harmless action that many are guilty of. Under the Terms of Service agreement, if you?d like to share a password with a friend, you must first ask Netflix for permission; a time-consuming process that few people will actually do. Theoretically, companies like Netflix could crack down on violators of this law and prosecute the guilty as federal criminals, so you?ll want to be careful not to get on Netflix?s bad side. However, it?s unlikely that a Netflix-like company will go through with such legal action, seeing as the public outrage from a move like this would be a PR nightmare. Also, with everything the FBI has on their plate, it?s highly unlikely that they will dispatch agents to lock you up if you share your Netflix password with grandma… but they could. Thinking beyond password sharing, it?s concerning how this interpretation of the CFAA essentially makes anyone who violates a Terms of Service agreement (which, honestly, hardly anybody actually reads) a federal criminal. Therefore, moving forward, you may want to be more careful about what you agree to by clicking that little box. Also, in general, one shouldn?t share their password in the first place, especially when it comes to passwords that grant access to sensitive company information. Are you guilty of sharing passwords? If so, how do you feel about committing a federal crime? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

While security experts tend to focus the brunt of their discussions on desktop OS vulnerabilities, there are plenty of mobile malware threats that fly under the radar. One such malware is called Hummer; a trojan that installs unwanted apps and malware on a device, and can be found on over a million phones worldwide. About HummerThe Hummer malware family has increased over the past year. At its peak activity, Hummer infected nearly 1.4 million devices every day. It?s thought that Hummer originated in China, and it has been known to infect over 63,000 devices daily in China alone. Granted, the spread of infections has dramatically decreased, but this hasn?t stopped Hummer from infecting about 1,190,000 devices. As reported by TechRepublic, here are the top five countries and the number of devices that are infected by the Hummer malware: India: 154,248 Indonesia: 92,889 Turkey: 63,906 China: 63,285 Mexico: 59,192 What It DoesHummer roots devices that it infects, which can unlock the operating system and allow for administrator privileges. Once it has infiltrated the device and unlocked it, Hummer will install malware, unwanted applications, games, pornographic applications, and other malicious and annoying programs. Since Hummer roots the device, your traditional antivirus and anti-malware programs aren?t going to be enough to get rid of it. Yet, perhaps the most dangerous part of this malware is that you can?t uninstall the unwanted apps. Well? you can, but the trojan will just reinstall the apps, which is both frustrating and a terrible use of your mobile data. Cheetah Mobile ran a test on the Hummer trojan and came to some shocking results: “In several hours, the trojan accessed the network over 10,000 times and downloaded over 200 APKs, consuming 2 GB of network traffic.” It?s clear that you don?t want this malware installed on your device, as it could jack up your phone bill and become an immense annoyance. How to Fix ItTo make matters worse, wiping your device won?t even be enough to get rid of the trojan. Cheetah Mobile claims that the factory reset won?t remove it. Users could also flash their device, but this can get complicated, and we don?t recommend doing so if you have no clue what you?re doing. Hummer isn?t the first mobile malware, and it certainly won?t be the last. Users of smartphones have to be just as cautious and vigilant as desktop users. To learn more about mobile malware and other threats, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

This year, for the month of June, the total number of gamers using Windows 10 for Steam, in both 32-bit and 64-bit format, reached 44.6 percent. This presents an increase of 3.41 percent from the previous month, and a 1.54 percent increase from the month before that. It?s safe to say that Windows 10 is ?picking up steam,? so to speak, but it seems that the free* upgrade is likely playing into these gamers? decisions to make the upgrade to Microsoft?s latest operating system. And, well, why wouldn?t it? Gamers want to take advantage of this opportunity to improve their experience while they still can. *FREE WINDOWS UPGRADE EXPIRES THIS FRIDAY! Of course, not all Steam users utilize Windows 10. 36.97 percent of Steam users have Windows 7 installed on their PCs, which is down 2 percent from last month. Windows 8 and 8.1, however, make up about 12 percent of Steam users. Altogether, Windows users account for about 95.5 percent of gamers on Steam, while OS X retains about 3.6 percent, and Linux snags a paltry 0.8 percent. Whether you?re a gamer or not, there?s no denying that there?s at least one lesson to be learned from these statistics, and it?s that the latest operating system for your Windows computer is needed if you want to get the most out of it. Gamers are often known for their meticulous attention to PC performance and specifications, so it?s no surprise that we see such a huge increase in Windows 10 statistics concerning PC gamers. If anything, this should be a testament to how valuable the latest software solutions can be for your business?s workstations. Gamers take their hobby seriously, and they want only the best and brightest way to experience their entertainment. Why shouldn?t you try your hand at experiencing greater productivity and efficiency with Microsoft?s latest operating system? If you haven?t yet upgraded to Windows 10, the fact remains that it?s a great operating system that can keep your business running throughout the near and not-so-distant future. White Mountain IT Services?s technicians can help your organization implement it in the best way possible. It?s important that you assess your current needs and ensure that Windows 10 is compatible with your legacy applications and software solutions. In this scenario, it?s best to have the expertise of a professional to lean on. To get started, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800. And who knows? Maybe Windows 10 will help your business achieve its next high score.

Data leakage is a primary concern for any business using employee-owned mobile devices in the workplace. Every business has sensitive information that cannot be exposed under any circumstances, and it?s the business owner?s responsibility to make sure that policies are put into place to protect this data. A study by Bitglass reveals that 72 percent of many different types of organizations, including financial, technology, healthcare, government, and education, believe that BYOD should be supported for at least some of their employees. In terms of mobile device management, however, only a meager 14 percent of these organizations use some way of protecting corporate data with device encryption. This is a significant disparity, and one that should be considered when your organization implements a BYOD strategy. You can?t allow your business to be the next to fall victim to mobile security threats. With a mobile device management solution from White Mountain IT Services, your business can have full control over the devices that your employees want to use for their work roles, as well as the flow of data that?s stored on them. Below are some of the many features available for a mobile device management solution: Whitelisting and blacklisting apps: Some applications will request access to information stored on a mobile device, but some won?t have any real reason to have access it. For example, a flashlight app has no business accessing your phone?s contacts or geographical location. By whitelisting and blacklisting apps, you can minimize your data?s exposure to threats. Role-based user access: One of the easiest ways to minimize danger to your organization?s data is to limit who has access to it. By integrating role-based user access, you can allow your team to access data that they need to do their jobs properly, and keep them accessing that which they don?t. Remote wiping: Sometimes the best way to prevent a data breach is by remotely wiping data from a lost or stolen device. You shouldn?t rely on the device showing up, especially if it were left in a public place like a bus or subway station. You should always be prepared for a worst-case scenario like this. For more information about BYOD and our mobile device management solution, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

Imagine this scenario; you have your entire IT infrastructure hosted in the cloud, including your mission-critical applications and data. This information is required in order for operations to continue. Now, imagine that your local Internet service provider has suffered a catastrophic outage for your region due to some unforeseeable circumstance. Now, your office is left high and dry with no Internet access. This presents a problem with no clear resolution, especially if most of your infrastructure is only accessible via the cloud. Unless you also have a backup of your infrastructure stored locally on your in-house network (which isn?t a bad idea), you won?t be able to access any information stored on the Internet. One simple way to bypass the problems associated with a downed Internet connection is to equip your office with 4G-enabled laptops or smartphones that can act as temporary hotspots. However, if you do this, you better be sure that your phone carrier supports this immense amount of data expenditure. In many cases, it?s better to just let your team work remotely if they?re capable of doing so. The most reliable choice would be to have any team that can work remotely do so until the problem is resolved. Working remotely during the incident might be a valid opportunity to eliminate downtime associated with your Internet access. As reported by ZDNet, ?It’s true that businesses are increasingly allowing for remote work and disaster planning is a good argument for it. It may even be worthwhile as an exercise. Require employees to have a plan for working offsite and schedule a day for everyone, or perhaps one department at a time, to do so. You might learn something about productivity while you’re at it. 9/11 proved that it’s possible your offices may be out of commission for a while. Do you really want to have to make up your plans on the spot when that happens?? If your business needs help implementing technology to keep your team connected at all times, you can count on White Mountain IT Services to find a solution. We can work out ways to help your employees access information regardless of the circumstances, all so you can keep downtime to a minimum. Furthermore, we can provide your business with the technology solutions required to ensure that your team can work off-site when needed. For example, a virtual private network (VPN) allows your team to securely access your business’s sensitive information from any wireless connection, allowing your team to access mission-critical files even if the in-house wireless network is down. If you?re concerned about not being able to communicate with your team while they?re off-site, we can make it much easier by helping you implement a unified communications solution that?s designed to work seamlessly, as long as you have an Internet connection. You can communicate in real time with both instant messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol telephony solutions that will make you feel like your team is right next door, even if they aren?t. For more information about how White Mountain IT Services can help bring your business back from the brink of downtime, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.