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When you?ve gone quite a while without a hacking incident, it?s easy to feel that the waters of the Internet are pristine and free of corruption; however, this isn?t necessarily the case. Deep down, in the murky depths of the Internet, there?s questionable activity at every turn, and some hackers might even have their sights set on your organization. You might think that your company is small-time compared to the large businesses that have been hacked in recent times, but in all actuality, your organization holds a wealth of information that hackers want to take advantage of. For example, you probably have the credit card numbers of your clients stored away somewhere on your infrastructure for when they make purchases. Your human resources department holds the Social Security numbers of all your employees in their files. Despite the fact that you?re a small business, hackers will see this as more than enough of a reason to hack you. Of course, they might just be taking a chance and hoping to find something good; but either way, you should be prepared to fend them off. Hackers will often try to attack your organization through cracks in your defenses. If you use older hardware or software that?s prone to experiencing breaches of security, you will be in for a rude awakening when a hacker breaches your network. You always want your organization?s systems to be in tip-top shape, be it through purchasing reliable new hardware or applying updates to your infrastructure. The best way to ensure that your organization is secure from hackers is to keep track of these weaknesses and resolve them as quickly as possible. The problem with this is that it?s difficult to keep track of multiple systems, especially if you?re not an IT expert by trade. This is why small and medium-sized organizations often outsource this responsibility to White Mountain IT Services to make sure that it?s performed properly. One way to make sure that you?ve got all of your bases covered is with a comprehensive network consultation. By indiscriminately analyzing every part of your technology infrastructure, you can find out a lot about your current security situation. Or, better yet, have an external party perform the consultation. By doing so, you get an unbiased assessment that?s sure to give you hints on how you can prepare your network for the worst. All you have to do to take advantage of this offering is call White Mountain IT Services. We offer a network consultation that?s designed to identify weak points in your security, as well as components that might be on their way toward a hardware failure. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.
Consider this: If your servers were to crash tomorrow, any data and applications on those servers will be inaccessible and possibly lost for good. This includes employee information, client contact information, financial records, and more. This is all imperative data that is difficult, if not impossible to replace quickly. By the time you?ve recovered from such a loss, will you be able to turn the tides on your misfortune and help your business get back up to speed? Most businesses that experience a major data loss like this, that don?t use some sort of data backup solution, will file for bankruptcy within a year of the incident. The primary reason your business needs to consider data backup and disaster recovery is because there are too many factors at play that are unpredictable. Some of these include: Natural Disasters: Fires, earthquakes, storms, power outages, and more can all lead to the destruction of your business?s in-house data storage infrastructure. Hacking Attacks: If a hacker or threat (like Cryptolocker and Cryptowall) gets into your network, they can steal information, corrupt it, or lock it down. This can jeopardize your organization?s access to vital data that?s necessary for everyday operations. User Error: Let?s say that a new user accesses the network and messes with settings they know they shouldn?t. If an inexperienced user were to misplace files, or delete them entirely, it could be disastrous for your organization if you don?t have a plan to recover them. Hardware Failure: Old or damaged hardware is known to break down more than brand-new machines, making it more important than ever to either upgrade to more recent models, or take proactive steps to prevent hardware failure and prepare for the worst. A quality data backup and disaster recovery solution should be able to protect your business?s data from all of the above, plus some. It needs to make copies of your data incrementally throughout the workday and send them to someplace safe for later access. It needs to ensure that your organization experiences maximum uptime to avoid the brutal and expensive costs of experiencing downtime. White Mountain IT Services?s Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution is a convenient and cost-effective way to handle all of the aforementioned threats. The BDR takes several backups of your data throughout the workday and sends the backups to our secure off-site data center. We can also arrange for your data to be stored in the cloud so you can access it at any time. From these locations, you can easily start the data recovery process in the event you need to restore your organization?s data. Better yet, the BDR can take the place of your server in the event a disaster renders it inoperable, giving you plenty of time to replace the server hardware while experiencing minimal downtime. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.
As a result, manufacturers look to take advantage of this trend by releasing devices cyclically. One problem many of these manufacturers are having is that devices that were built two years ago aren?t that much different than the ones that are being offered at a premium price today. While this hasn?t halted demand for these devices, manufacturers will need to find other options to outfit their newest offerings with. Here are three devices that will be available in the coming months, each with a different operating system. Each is designed to be the OS? flagship device, and while there?s plenty of competition from other manufacturers, these three present users the options and functionality they are looking for in a high-end smartphone purchase. Samsung Galaxy Note 5Samsung is the talk of the industry today. With their line of s-model phones and Note phablets, they have sold more smartphones over the past two years than any other manufacturer; cornering nearly a quarter of the market in 2014 (24.6%). In projecting the demand, all variables point to the Galaxy Note 5 being a popular item when it is released this summer. As with their flagship device, the Galaxy s6 and last year?s Note 4, this year?s iteration will come with an available Edge option. Samsung has integrated a useful design where the display wraps around the side of the phone to produce a small bar where users can get notifications, control application deployment, even quick-start useful in-phone applications that run in the sidebar interface. Specifications of the Galaxy Note 5Display: 5.66-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 1440 x 2560 resolution made from Gorilla Glass 4Operating System: Google Android v5.1.1 (Lollipop)Processor: Samsung octa-core Exynos 7420Memory: 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB models available; 4 GB RAMCameras: 16 MP camera with optical image stabilization, 5 MP front-facing cameraBattery: 4,100 mAhCommunication: NFC, Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi, Infrared, microUSBOther features: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, UV, heart rate, Sp02, integrated s-pen Apple iPhone 6sApple has been producing world-class smartphones for almost a decade now, and the iPhone 6s is seemingly no different. With users expecting greatness out of every Apple device, it?s becoming harder for the world?s most profitable company to continue wowing their fans. That doesn?t stop them from rolling out a new version of the device every year. This year?s version will feature the brand-spanken-new A9 processor, which aims to exceed Samsung?s Exynos 7420 processor for computing power. There are also rumors that the newest iPhone will get a body upgrade, after the bendgate snafu reared its ugly head last September. As with the iPhone 6, there will be a 6s plus model that features a larger display. Specifications of the iPhone 6sDisplay: 4.7-inch Retina display with 750 x 1334 resolution with ion-strengthened glass and an oleophobic coatingOperating System: iOS 9Processor: Apple A9Memory: 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB models available; 2 GB RAMCameras: 12 MP camera with phase detection focus, 5 MP front-facing cameraBattery: Li-Po 1,810 mAhCommunication: Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi, v 2.0, reversible connectorOther features: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Microsoft Lumia 940Windows Phone hasn?t made a big splash in the market since before the first iPhone was released, despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the (formerly Nokia) Lumia line of phones. Microsoft may just have something now with their recent release […]
Microsoft has tried something along these lines before using their Kinect feature for Xbox One, but it was controversial upon release due to Kinect?s camera always being active, even when not in use. The Windows Hello camera will only be turned on when it?s actively being used, making it much less of a privacy issue. Additionally, you can?t use Windows Hello with just any webcam. Windows Hello requires the purchase of an additional piece of hardware: a special RealSense 3D camera, priced around $100. PCs built for Windows 10 come pre-equipped with this device, with even more models adopting the RealSense camera in the future. How Does Biometric Authentication Benefit Users?In addition to using your face as a method of signing into your PC, Windows Hello also allows for iris and fingerprint authentication. Biometrics being readily available on Windows 10 is a pretty huge move on Microsoft?s part, and an important step toward leaving behind the password, a credential that grows increasingly obsolete as time passes and hackers grow more obnoxious. Dustin Ingalls, member of Windows Security Team, explains in a Microsoft promotional video the benefit of using Windows Hello biometric technology: As a hacker, if I get ahold of your password, I can use that from anywhere. But with [biometrics]… the key is actually bound in hardware to my device. So the only way a hacker can use my identity, is to actually steal the device. When you use Windows Hello, not only does the attacker have to steal my device, but they also have to be able to use my biometrics. Which is super challenging. Okay, what about a hacker simply using a picture of you to unlock the device? This is the reason why Windows Hello is only compatible with the RealSense 3D camera; it?s compatible with Microsoft?s spoof protection capabilities that require the user to turn their head. This is assumed to be for the purpose of looking for unique traits that distinguish one from an image of themselves. Of course, some potential issues will still surface. For example, how will Windows Hello keep identical twins from accessing each other?s PCs? Since the RealSense camera can scan a user for details down to their facial hair, its performance in the field might be a bit unpredictable for a time, though it will undoubtedly be more secure than the simple password. Setting Up Windows HelloIt?s pretty easy to set up Windows Hello. All you need to do is go to Settings > Enable a PIN, then stare into the RealSense camera for a moment while it analyzes your face. Users with glasses will need to take multiple shots of the camera with them on and off. Once these settings are saved, an animated eye will show up on the lock screen. Look at it, and it will wink after it?s confirmed your identity. Windows Hello will then unlock your PC with a welcoming message. Do you think Windows Hello is an important step toward eliminating passwords entirely? Let us know in the comments.
To a degree, this might partially be Microsoft?s fault for incrementally distributing the new OS. Even though a short wait isn?t all that bad, some just can?t wait to get their hands on Windows 10, and will believe anything they see on how to get it. This leads some users to receive the nasty CTB-Locker, a ransomware similar to Cryptolocker that encrypts the files stored locally on your computer. In order to decrypt the files and regain access to them, the user usually needs to dish out a pretty hefty chunk of change. This particular ransomware can be contracted via an email scam. For those without an eye for detail, the spam can be difficult to spot. While at first glance it might appear to be the real deal, look a little closer. The message is riddled with errors, despite the fact that the message appears to be from Microsoft, a reputable business in the software industry. This message takes advantage of the fact that users want their new operating system as soon as possible, and prompts them to download a .zip file. When the user downloads the file, the malware encrypts their PC, effectively locking it down and preventing access to important files until the ransom is paid. To add to the troubles that come with this ransomware, these hackers have taken measures to ensure that their tracks are covered as conveniently as possible. By using the anonymity communications system Tor, and by demanding the ransom be submitted in Bitcoin, it?s difficult to track down and stop these criminals. According to ZDNet, ransomware like CTB-Locker is an increasingly popular issue in the cyber security world, extorting somewhere between $200 and $10,000 from each user per occurrence. In 2015 alone, it raked in roughly $18 million from over 1,000 users, making it a very potent tool to leech money from unsuspecting users. If your organization is equipped with a good spam filter, you probably won?t receive this message, despite the fact that it?s heavily customized to fool users into believing it?s legitimate. Granted, a spear phishing attack can potentially weasel its way through a spam filter, so if a scammer really wants to trick you, they?ll find a way to do it. If you really want to keep your files safe from this ransomware, the best approach is to stay cautious and keep an eye out for any emails that are either too good to be true, or downright sketchy. Never download attachments from unknown senders, and always keep your spam filter active. These measures will help to make sure your PC stays secure, and in turn, the rest of your network will remain secure. Give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800 for more information on how you can keep scammers and hackers from infiltrating your systems.
