A new study out is showing that you are far more likely to get a virus emailed to you in the morning hours than any other time of day. Many users around the world login to their computers first thing in the morning and review any emails they may have missed during the evening as well as those just coming in. 

According to a study by “Trustware” the time frame from 8 AM EST to 9 AM EST is the most likely time to come across an infection in your email.  According to Trustware, the amount of viruses being sent to users also begins to rise in August and peaks in September. 

The study also finds that Franchises are also one of the more likely targets due to the fact that if they are able to break into one location it is likely that multiple locations use similar IT configurations.

If you’re interested in reading more about the study click here.

Android is becoming more secure. Apple being known for their very locked down operating system is soon to not be the only “secure” device out there for consumers to choose. While no device is entirely secure, Android is starting to take steps to ensure its users that the software available from legitimate sources is just that, legitimate. 

In the past there have been many malicious programs introduced that can cause everything from privacy issues, identity theft, or fraudulent charges to the phone users phone bill. Google is now taking some initiative to help secure the Market. While Android remains open source meaning anyone can create an application for the Market for users to download, Google has begun scanning all applications and running them in a virtual environment to watch them for malicious intent. Google is not only monitoring new applications uploaded but is also monitoring those already in existence.

It is nice to see that Google is taking security a bit more seriously but not actually locking down their software entirely. With Android being open source it allows its users/developers a very fertile ground for development and advances. With that openness comes security risks though that needs to be monitored. Keep up the good work Google!

To read more on the topic click here.

This past week a group of hackers from India indicated that they had found source code from Symantec’s Endpoint Protection software. Endpoint Protection is enterprise level antivirus software that is designed to be ran in a client/server environment. 

The hackers claimed to have source code from two older versions of Endpoint Protection, version 11.0 and version 10.2. While Symantec is currently on version 12.0 version 11.0 is still supported even though it is four years old. Symantec claims that even though the hackers have access to the source code they have no way (yet) of breaching their software. 

There are a lot of companies out there that try to hold on to everything as long as they can to try to avoid the various costs involved with replacing a product with a newer product. In the case of your antivirus software however, this is a dangerous practice. The longer a product is in existence the higher the chance is of someone finding a way to hack into it. In the case of Endpoint Protection this is particularly dangerous since it operates in a client server setup. Imagine if your server’s side antivirus agent was compromised. This could mean that your workstations are no longer receiving updates, and could potentially mean your entire network is vulnerable. 

We sell a better solution to client server antivirus solutions. Through Tech Experts Businesses are able to purchase our Managed Vipre Antivirus which does not have to operate on a client server setup, but can if you need it to function that way due to your networks bandwidth.

At any rate, if you have old antivirus software, I recommend updating it to something current so you are properly protecting your valuable assets.

If you would like to read more click here.

Many people know that whenever a file is downloaded to your computer it should be scanned with an antivirus program to ensure it is safe before opening it. The fact is, if the file you just downloaded and scanned has a virus that is new, your antivirus may not catch it before it’s too late.

So what’s a better way of going about scanning files that you’ve downloaded? Well one thing you could do is to use multiple antivirus products to scan your files. The main problem with this method is that for you to do this you would need to install and uninstall every antivirus software you wish to scan with since you can only have one antivirus software installed on your computer at a time. The reason for this is that having multiple antivirus products on your computer can conflict with each other and cause a lot of problems.

The best way to scan your downloaded file (provided it is under 20 MB) is to use this handy website: http://www.virustotal.com/ this website gives you the ability to upload your file and scan it against a list of major antivirus companies.

Wanting to test this out, I hunted down a virus on the internet (Not to terribly difficult) and once I found out where it installed itself on my computer, moved it to my flash drive and used it to test their website. After uploading I was able to see what antivirus programs were currently able to detect this particular virus. Only 5 of the 42 it looks at were currently able to detect the virus.

Needless to say, always be very cautious about what you open (even if it appears someone you know sent it to you). As this website shows, just because you have an Antivirus installed, doesn’t mean that yours is able to detect everything.

If you are interested in reading more click here.

If you would like to check out the “Virus Total” website, click here.

That’s right, scammers are out in full force to steal anyones credit card information they can get their hands on. The sad thing is most times, including this attempt, consumers freely but unknowingly give the information to them with little to no hesitation.

Hitting just after Christmas is over is an email scam that is targeting new Apple product owners. The email is designed to look as if it is a legitimate email with carefully written grammar and official looking links to an even more official looking website.

Unsuspecting users are directed to the fake website and instructed to login to their account and update their billing information. Logging into the users account immediately sends the user to a account update page that asks the user for the normal billing information and pretty much gives the scammers full access to use your credit cards how they like.

As we’ve said many times, you have to be very, very careful with your personal information. Generally, due to scams like this, it is a good idea to go directly to their website and login to your account to do updates rather than following any links contained within emails. Links in email can easily hide malicious websites which can harm you simply by browsing to them.

If you are unsure if they really need your information, look up the customer support number on the legitimate website and give them a call. If you speak to customer service more than likely they can clear up any confusion as well. Better safe than sorry always.

If you are interested in reading more about this scan or seeing some of the scammers emails/websites click the link here.

The answer to this is question is ultimately no. That being said what’s the point of securing your network? Well, if a network is properly secured it will take a very skilled individual to successfully break into a secured network. 

Network security is a must for every business whether you have your own server or not. Those using a server need to put as much security in place as possible since your resources are all accessed and managed centrally (or at least they should be as that’s the whole point of having a server…).

We speak about security a lot as an IT services provider and that is because it is extremely important. The fact is however that just like good antivirus software is for viruses and malware, good security is simply a preventative measure and needs to be monitored and kept up on to ensure it is working properly. A skilled hacker can infiltrate even the most secure network given enough time to do so. The key to stopping an attack is not what you had setup at prevent the attack but rather the constant monitoring of your network to watch for attacks taking place and stop them before they make it through your defenses, then make some changes after an attack to prevent any headway they may have made on your network.

We have had attempts by hackers at a number of clients sites which is pretty common and thanks to our monitoring system, were able to detect the attempts and block them BEFORE they were able to access anything. Having good security in place allows you time to react to attacks. Having poor security generally means you never even have a chance to see the attack and they can walk off with everything saved on your network. If someone was able to gain access to your network they could potentially have access to your business contacts, contracts and company files, customer credit card data, etc…needless to say this could wind up costing your company tens of thousands of dollars or more.

It pays to have a properly designed security solution in place. If you have any question as to how secure your network is or is not…give us a call for a full security audit and lets us have a few minutes to speak with you about some of the ways we can help you protect your company.

New reports from McAfee show hackers making their next targets the computers that run inside of newer cars.  Hackers are trying to take over vehicles, stealing personal information, tracking people’s whereabouts, and even manipulating your cars sensory units including air bags, cruise control, door locks, and even power seats in some vehicles.  At this year’s Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, for instance, security consultants with iSEC Partners demonstrated their ability to remotely lock and unlock a car, as well as start it, by communicating with the car’s computer system using only text messages.

I wonder who the first company to manufacture cars with built in anti-virus' is going to be?