It’s the season of giving but scammers are taking

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year for scammers and many Americans are putting themselves at risk. Don’t be one of them.

Here are 10 tips on how to protect yourself from holiday scams:

holiday-security-tipsCheck the charity: 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.

Travel Safely: Millions hit the road, rail and sky during this holiday season. But with the cost of travel on the rise, especially airfares, passengers are easy prey for a host of scams.  Some seem legitimate. But there are some warning signs. For example, you want to travel to Europe or the Bahamas and a travel site offers you a hotel or apartment rental at a great price in a city you want to go to. It seems perfect, except you can’t pay with a credit card. They want cash, a bank or wire transfer. DON’T do it. It’s a scam.  Also, during the holidays, you can often be targeted using familiar e-mail addresses of your friends. You may receive an e-mail purporting to be from friends saying they were traveling and had their wallet stolen and that they’re in a hotel, unable to pay their bill. This is a travel scam that uses details taken from social networking sites (such as Facebook) to send phony distress e-mails to family and friends. And of course, these e-mails ask that money be wired or transferred.

Gift Card Fraud: Only purchase gift cards from reputable sources and try to get them directly from the store they’re from.  Ask the store cashier to scan the card to ensure it has the correct balance and provide a receipt before leaving.  Look at the back of the card to ensure the area with the protective scratch-off is intact.

Surf safely: Do not use public Wi-Fi to check sensitive financial information, or to make purchases using your credit card.

Package Theft: Require a signature on all package deliveries. You can also write specific instructions for the delivery company on where to leave your package, and don’t forget you can always have your package delivered to you at work.

Use credit: Use a credit card instead of your debit card when making holiday purchases.

Fake checks and free gift offers:  Websites may offer free gifts if you “click here,” and letters in the mail could ask for personal information in exchange for a $500 check.  Believe us, people you don’t know don’t want to give you free money. Remember the adage that there ain’t nothing in life for free. Similarly, the emails and shared status updates on social media saying “click here for your free gift” are likely phishing schemes or malware-laden, and letters asking for an advance payment to receive your free check for thousands of dollars are bogus.

skullBeware Suspicious Emails: Pay special attention to emails you receive from sources such as your bank, retailers and shipping companies such as FedEx or UPS. Scammers use the names of reputable companies to try and get you to open attachments containing malicious software or enter logon credentials to your accounts.  Never click links from emails or open the attachment in an email, especially if you’re not expecting a message from the source.  Instead, close the message and visit the site by manually opening it in your browser.  Call the source directly if you are suspicious or believe the message to be false.

Beware of deals: Watch out for deals offered by companies with unfamiliar websites. Look for reviews on Yelp, Google and the Better Business Bureau or search the retailer’s name and “scam” to see if it checks out before giving your payment information.

Secure your systems: Take added precautions with your security.  Make sure your antivirus and malware software’s are up to date and functioning. Ensure your windows and java security patches are applied and your firewall is configured correctly.  Backup your data!  These steps along with some simple common sense can help mitigate your exposure while online.

If you need assistance securing your systems or help cleaning up from a suspected scam contact us.

(561) 404-9251 | TMDTechnology.com

Dell Security Flaw Identified and Fix Available

dellpcPC-maker Dell is taking action to fix a security vulnerability on a number of its laptops shipped since August 2015.

The flaw was found in the digital certificate, eDellRoot, installed by Dell Foundation Services, which is part of a support tool to make it faster and easier for customers to service their system, according to a press release from Dell. But security researchers discovered that the certificate could leave users exposed to online spying and malware attacks.

Dell posted instructions on how to permanently remove the certificate on its website and stressed that the certificate will not reinstall itself once it is properly removed.

Learn more about the flaw and how to fix it here.

If you need additional assistance or would like to ensure the fix is applied correctly please contact TMD Technology Services.

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Ransomware’s latest threats: What to do about CryptoWall, Chimera, etc

In a PCWorld Article they report what most technology professionals have probably already heard about…

Ransomware thieves have come up with creative new schemes in the past month and are targeting people heavily this holiday season.

Current ransomware typically encrypts victims’ data and then threatens to delete the key if payment is not made. The latest variant of the prolific CryptoWall malware, however, now scrambles the filenames on infected computers, making it even more difficult for victims to recover without buying the key from the attackers.

Potentially worse, another ransomware operation, known as Chimera, has threatened to publish the data of any non-cooperative victim—whether business or consumer—to the Internet. The operation, which currently aims at German targets, demands the payment of almost 2.5 bitcoins, or more than US $800, according to German cybersecurity site Botfrei, which reported the initial attack.

“To frighten the user even more, the message indicates the threat to publish personal data and pictures somewhere on the internet – if user doesn’t pay the bribe,” states Botfrei’s analysis of the attack.

An empty threat that may still signal a trend

Subsequent analysis has found that the program does not actually steal data. While this makes its threat largely toothless, it also raises questions about whether such tactics are a possible escalation in ransomware.

It would be a logical move in the cat-and-mouse game between data-encrypting criminals and security experts. In the past, online blackmail schemes have taken one of two paths. In the oldest type of schemes, criminals hack computers or use malware to steal—or create—sensitive or embarrassing information and then demand a payment for not publicizing the information. More recent schemes involved denial of service—the criminals use encryption to deny access to data, or use packet floods to overwhelm Web sites.

“Ransomware has always been a two-pronged attack,” says Adam Kujawa, head of malware intelligence for Malwarebytes Labs. “One being against the technology of the system and the other against the psychology of the user.”

The claimed abilities of Chimera combines these two attacks, denying access to data but promising to embarrass any victims that do not pay.

Chimera ransomware screenshot by BotfreiCourtesy of Botfrei
The Chimera ransomware claims it will leak your data, if you don’t pay.

Ransomware has become a significant threat to both businesses and consumers online over the past three years. The malicious software targets Windows and Macs, and even Linux servers and systems are not immune to attack. In August, Dell Secureworks researchers estimated that more than 600,000 computers had been infected by one type of ransomware, CryptoWall, in the first six months of 2015, and at least 0.27 percent of victims paid the ransom, garnering more than $1 million for the operators.

Security experts have also identified two fundamental hurdles to any ransomware schemes that threaten to publish data.

Currently, ransomware operators only encrypt data and then store the key to that data. Uploading copies of all of a victim’s data, or even a subset, is most resource-intensive and will make the ransomware more noticeable, says Chester Wisniewski, senior security advisor with security firm Sophos.

“There is nothing stopping them from saying they are going to go through your files, but are they really going to spend all that time for a few hundred dollars?”

Finally, publishing some or all of a person’s data to the Internet undermines the other part of the ransomware threat—losing access to the data. A victim could just not pay and then download their data from the information posted online, says Malwarebytes Kujawa.

Yet, future ransomware could turn the threat into a real tactic.

So what’s the latest advice? Security experts have a few recommendations.

1. Attend to your systems’ security

The first line of defense is to not get infected by ransomware. Users should avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in suspicious email messages and beware of dodgy Web sites, but also harden their systems. Update your software regularly, especially the ubiquitous code often targeted by attackers, such as Adobe’s Flash, Oracle’s Java and Microsoft’s Office formats.

In addition, users should maximize their chances of detecting malware, which is changed frequently to try to avoid security software. “There is a lot of money on the line, so these guys are working hard to keep their malware dynamic,” Sophos’s Wisniewski says.

Users should make sure to turn on the advanced settings in their security software, he says.

2. Back up your data

Historically, security firms have recommended that that businesses and consumers restore their files from backup, but not all businesses—not to mention consumers—back up their files regularly, leaving payment as the only option. In addition, it is often cheaper for a company to restore files using the encryption key rather than from backups.

“We always tell people to have backups and we tell people to never pay, but that is not always realistic,” says Chester Wisniewski, senior security advisor with security firm Sophos.

The FBI recently gave a nod to this reality. Joseph Bonavolonta, assistant special agent in charge of the Cyber and Counterintelligence Program in the FBI’s Boston office, told a recent conference, “To be honest, we often advise people just to pay the ransom.”

3. Encrypt data even on your own hard drive

Even security experts have had their files and email stolen by hackers and posted to the Internet. Increasingly, businesses are encrypting their most sensitive data and any sensitive email discussions. While encryption will not necessarily protect the content of messages, if the computer itself is compromised

This step is not foolproof, but it does add another hurdle for the data thieves.

Source: PCWorld

Ten Ways to Improve the Security of a New Computer

virusWhy Should I Care About Computer Security? Our computers help us stay connected to the modern world. We use them for banking and bill paying, shopping, connecting with our friends and family through email and social networking sites, surfing the internet, and so much more. We rely so heavily on our computers to provide these services that we sometimes overlook their security. Because our computers have such critical roles in our lives and we trust them with so much personal information, it’s important to improve their security so we can continue to rely on them and keep our information safe.

Attackers can infect your computer with malicious software, or malware, in many different ways. They can take advantage of unsafe user practices and flaws in your computer’s programs (flaws including vulnerabilities and unsecured services and features) and use social engineering (in which an attacker convinces someone to perform an action such as opening a malicious email attachment or following a malicious link).Once your computer is infected, intruders can use the malware to access your computer without your knowledge to perform unwanted actions. They can steal your personal information, change computer configurations, cause your computer to perform unreliably, and install even more malware they can use to leverage attacks or spread malware to others. tion of compromised computers connected to the internet, to leverage additional attacks against other computers.

How Do I Improve the Security of My Home or business Computer? Following are ten important things you can do to make your computer more secure. While no individual step will completely eliminate your risk, together these practices will make your  computer’s defense strong and minimize the threat of malicious activity.

  1. Connect to a Secure Network Once your computer is connected to the internet, it’s also connected to millions of other connected computers, which could, in turn, allow attackers to connect to your computer. Information flows from the internet to your home network by first coming into your modem, then to your router, which most people have, and finally to your computer. Because your modem doesn’t have security settings, it’s crucial to secure your router—the first securable device that receives information from the internet. Be sure to secure it before you connect to the internet to improve your computer’s security. If you don’t have a router, contact your service provider to learn how you can best secure your network.
    • The default configurations of most home routers offer little security. Though it may seem cumbersome to spend time configuring your router’s settings, it’s well worth it because a secure router is one of the best initial lines of defense. To secure your router, consult its user’s guide, which will direct you to a predefined URL or IP address where you can do the following:
      • Configure the wireless network to use WPA2-AES encryption for data confidentiality.
      • Change the default login username, if permitted (refer to the user’s guide), and password. (The default passwords are published in manufacturer’s publications and are readily accessible.)
      • Conduct MAC address filtering (a form of whitelisting, or identifying wirelessly connected computers you trust).
      • Change the default wireless SSID.
  2. Enable and Configure a Firewall A firewall is a device that controls the flow of information between your computer and the internet, similar to a router. Most modern operating systems include a software firewall. In addition to the operating system’s firewall, the majority of home routers have a firewall built in. Refer to your user’s guide for instructions on how to enable your firewall. Once your firewall is enabled, consult the user’s guide to learn how to configure the security settings and set a strong password to protect it against unwanted changes.
  3. Install and Use Antivirus and Antispyware Software Installing an antivirus and antispyware software program and keeping it up to date is a critical step in protecting your computer. Many types of antivirus and antispyware software can detect the possible presence of malware by looking for patterns in the files or memory of your computer. This software uses virus signatures provided by software vendors to look for malware. New malware is discovered daily, and vendors frequently make new signatures available, so 2 antivirus software will be most effective if the signatures are up to date. Many antivirus and antispyware programs offer automatic updating. Enable that feature so your software always has the most current signatures. If automatic updates aren’t offered, be sure to install the software from a reputable source, like the vendor’s website or a CD from the vendor.
  4. Remove Unnecessary Software Intruders can attack your computer by exploiting software vulnerabilities (that is, flaws or weaknesses), so the less software you have installed, the fewer avenues for potential attack. Check the software installed on your computer. If you don’t know what a software program does and don’t use it, research it to determine whether it’s necessary. Remove any software you feel isn’t necessary after confirming the software is safe to be removed. Back up important files and data before removing unnecessary software in case you accidentally remove software essential to the operating system. If possible, locate the installation media for the software in case you need to reinstall it.
  5. Disable Nonessential Services Like unnecessary software, nonessential services increase the opportunities for attack. Two services to look for are file sharing and print sharing, which enable you to share files, such as photos and music, with other computer users and print to other computers on your network. The Conficker malware used file sharing to infect computers and spread the infection to others. Disabling file sharing would have eliminated one of the ways Conficker infected computers at the time of the Conficker malware infection. If those services are enabled in your operating system, disable them if you only have one computer connected to your network or don’t use them. Because services differ depending on your operating system and many of them are critical to your computer’s operation, research any services you aren’t sure about or don’t use before disabling them.
  6. Modify Unnecessary Default Features Like removing unnecessary software and disabling nonessential services, modifying unnecessary default features eliminates opportunities for attack. Review the features that came enabled by default on your computer and disable or customize those you don’t need or plan on using. As with nonessential services, be sure to research these features before disabling or modifying them. The AutoRun feature in Microsoft Windows systems was a default feature at the time of the Conficker malware and was one of the three ways computers became infected. When the AutoRun feature is enabled on Windows computers, Windows detects when removable media, such as CDs and USB storage devices, are inserted into the computer and automatically executes the media’s contents.
  7. Operate Under the Principle of Least Privilege In most instances of a malware infection, the malware can operate only under the rights of the logged-in user. To minimize the impact the malware can have if it successfully infects a computer, consider using a standard or restricted user account for day-to-day activities and only 3 logging in with the administrator account (which has full operating privileges on the system) when you need to install or remove software or change system settings from the computer.
  8. Secure Your Web Browser Web browsers installed on new computers usually don’t have secure default settings. Securing your browser is another critical step in improving your computer’s security because an increasing number of attacks take advantage of web browsers. Before you start surfing the internet, secure your browser by doing the following:
    1. Disable mobile code (that is, Java, JavaScript, Flash, and ActiveX) on websites you’re not familiar with or don’t trust. While disabling these types of code on all sites will significantly reduce your risk of being attacked, the websites you visit may not function as they normally do.
    2. Disable options to always set cookies. A cookie is a file placed on your computer that stores website data. Attackers may be able to log onto a site you’ve visited (like a banking site) by accessing the cookie with your login information. To prevent that, configure the browser to ask for permission before setting a cookie, allow cookies for sessions only, and disable features that keep you logged in to a site or that retain information you’ve entered, such as text you type into forms and the search bar.
    3. If you’re using Internet Explorer, set the security levels for trusted sites (websites you most often visit and trust) to the second highest level. At the highest level, websites may not function properly.
  9. Apply Software Updates and Enable Future Automatic Updates Most software vendors release updates to patch or fix vulnerabilities, flaws, and weaknesses (bugs) in their software. Because intruders can exploit these bugs to attack your computer, keeping your software updated is important to help prevent infection. When you set up a new computer (and after you have completed the previous practices), go to your software vendors’ websites and check for and install all available updates. Enable automatic updates if your vendors offer it; that will ensure your software is always updated, and you won’t have to remember to do it yourself. Many operating systems and software have options for automatic updates. As you’re setting up your new computer, be sure to enable these options if offered. Be cautious, however, because intruders can set up malicious websites that look nearly identical to legitimate sites. Only download software updates directly from a vendor’s website, from a reputable source, or through automatic updating.
  10. Use Good Security Practices You can do some simple things to improve your computer’s security. Some of the most important are.
    1. Use caution with email attachments and untrusted links. Malware is commonly spread by people clicking on an email attachment or a link that launches the malware. Don’t open attachments or click on links unless you’re certain they’re safe, even if they come from a person you know. Some malware sends itself through an infected computer. While the email may appear to come from someone you know, it really came from a compromised computer. Be especially wary of attachments with sensational names, emails that contain misspellings, or emails that try to entice you into clicking on a link or attachment (for example, an email with a subject like that reads, “Hey, you won’t believe this picture of you I saw on the internet!”).
    2. Use caution when providing sensitive information. Some email or web pages that appear to come from a legitimate source may actually be the work of an attacker. An example is an email claiming to be sent from a system administrator requesting your password or other sensitive information or directing you to a website requesting that information. While internet service providers may request that you change your password, they will never specify what you should change it to or ask you what it is.
    3. Create strong passwords. Passwords that have eight or more characters, use a variety of uppercase and lowercase letters, and contain at least one symbol and number are best. Don’t use passwords that people can easily guess like your birthday or your child’s name. Password detection software can conduct dictionary attacks to try common words that may be used as passwords or conduct brute-force attacks where the login screen is pummeled with random attempts until it succeeds. The longer and more complex a password is, the harder these tools have to work to crack it. Also, when setting security verification questions, choose questions for which it is unlikely that an internet search would yield the correct answer.

Where Can I Learn More? Implementing the practices here will significantly improve your computer’s security. The more you can implement, the more secure your computer will be. Even after implementing all ten of these practices, you still may not be protected from all of the risks you and your computer may encounter. Let us help secure your PC and Network.  We offer competitive managed solutions that address many of the concerns of the ever changing complex computing environments.  TMDTechnology.com

Produced for US-CERT, a government organization.

Here Are 8 Ways to protect yourself from Viruses and Malware

TMD-PC-Icon-smGetting hacked or getting a computer virus is most computer users’ worst nightmare. All devices no matter the Operating System (Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, etc) are susceptible to being hacked or having malicious software put on them. Your computers, smartphones, tablets, and TVs all can be hacked and used to collect information about you that can later be sold or posted online.
1. Using the same password over and over again
This may come as news to you, but whenever there is a breach in a company’s database or information, emails, passwords, names and other confidential information is what usually gets posted online. You can check if your information has been posted online here, just type in your email address and it will tell you if your account is posted online somewhere.

2. Visiting questionable websites
Whether you mean to or not, you may end up at a questionable website. You might click on a pop-up ad or a bad link in an e-mail. Either way these types of websites do NOT have your best intentions in mind. To avoid pop-ups or other questionable blockers, check out services such as Adlock Plus for Google Chrome or Firefox.

3. Failing to update software
One of the easiest ways for hackers to access your computer is by not updating your software. Software makers are always plugging security holes to prevent this from happening, but if you don’t have the latest version, you can be more likely to become a victim.  Hackers are always trying to exploit the know issues since after all they are known.

4. Downloading illegal online content
Sure it is easy to get the latest music, movies, or games online but resist this temptation.  First, it’s illegal. second, it can cause some serious issues. Hackers know lots of people are searching for free content like this online so they put viruses and Trojan viruses into illegal content. It is just waiting for you to download and run it.

5. Unsafe web searching
Make sure you use the real Google, Yahoo or Bing as your search engine rather than another browser. Sometimes a toolbar will change your search engine to theirs so they can make some money from advertisements. Browser redirection can be a real drag.  Search results are typically paid for and likely not what you expected.

6. Clicking unknown links or opening attachments in your e-mail
This one is very essential now-a-days because everyone gets a few hundred e-mail messages a day. Most of them are spam but a few of them look legit because they claim to be from your bank, courier services or some other well-known company. They are just there to get you to click a link then steal your login information.  Never click a link in an email and be cautious when opening attachments (especially zip files)

7. Installing junk software
Free is not always a good option and that old adage you get what you PAY for comes to mind.  Ask yourself does it make sense for someone to spend all that time making a program then just give it away? Nope…Most of the time they expect you to just hit next when installing and also install their partner advertisements and other junk on to your computer.

8. Not keeping virus or malware scanners or software up-to-date
By not updating your scanners you are basically scanning your computer for viruses that are old. Most scanners now update their virus definitions hourly or at least daily. So it is very important to check in with your scanner at least once a week and make sure all is running smooth. Generally they have a dashboard that will let you know.

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