As the story goes, we've been saying for years that the way to handle spam emails was to never reply to anything, even if there was an unsubscribe link or instructions at the end of the message. After all, spammers dont really care that you don't want them sending you emails, or they wouldn't have sent them in the first place. Furthermore, by replying in any manner, you're confirming that your email account is an active one and therefore a valuable commodity to sell to other spammers.
The best practice is to have a robust spam filter in place like CMIT's Anti-spam to keep unwanted messages from clogging your inbox. However, for those message that sneak through, you may wish to consider an alternative course of action, so long as the spam messages meet certain criteria.
The main question to ask is, "Is the message from a legitimate company?" Sometimes the answer is difficult to ascertain, but if it's trying to sell you diet pills or any kind of "enhancements," just ignore it. Companies that send mass emails are required, as part of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, to include an opt-out link in every message, and to comply with such requests from recipients. Some companies even go as far as to use a third-party service, such as Safe Unsubscribe, to handle opt-out requests without revealing the requestor's email address to the message's sender.
So, if you find your inbox cluttered with newsletters that you no longer wish to receive or special offers from companies with which you have done business, following the unsubscribe instructions probably won't do you any harm. It's a less drastic step than blocking the sender's domain, which might prevent you from receiving legitimate emails such as order confirmations or recall notices.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Watch Out for PayPal E-mail Scam
It has been confirmed by PayPal that there are scam e-mails associated with their company circulating the internet.
The image below is a screen shot of the most recent e-mail scam that you need to be aware of. Especially for those of you who are frequent PayPal users, this can be easily confused with your trusted emails that you receive from PayPal all the time.
Remember:
Do Not click on any links
Check for incorrect spelling as this is a common sign that it is an e-mail scam
Delete the e-mail so you dont accidently open any links or attachments
Do Not click on any links
Check for incorrect spelling as this is a common sign that it is an e-mail scam
Delete the e-mail so you dont accidently open any links or attachments
Always be cautious when opening and reading your e-mails. Most viruses and scams are covered up with names of companies you trust. Just be careful what you open and what you click!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
5 Most Glaring Holes in Small Business IT Security
As an IT service provider to small businesses, we see a few common problems among new clients. Whether it's because of oversight, lack of knowledge, neglect, or user error, the following five issues keep many small businesses from achieving their full potential or even worse, jeopardize a company's very existence.
1. Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) - A company's electronic data is one of its most valuable and fragile assets. A shocking number of small businesses either rely on manual backups or just keep their fingers crossed. For maximum protection, a business needs not only an automated backup system (to minimize human error), but also a thoroughly tested and simple-to-implement disaster recovery plan in order to get the business back up and running.
2. Adherence to Security Protocols - Your car alarm won't give you much protection if you leave your keys on the hood. As with many security systems, the human factor is often one of the weakest links. Poor login management, shared passwords, and other shortcuts leave your computers and network open to threats. Educating your staff about the importance of adhering to security measures (and making sure they do) is of utmost importance.
3. Outdated Equipment - This especially applies to network infrastructure such as routers, switches, and firewalls. Just because a device still works, doesn't mean it is working securely. As security protocols have progressed, especially in the wireless space, manufacturers have had to increase performance to keep up with increasingly complicated encryption schemes. Running older hardware makes you an easier target (and therefore more attractive) for hackers.
4. Unsecured Mobile Devices - Yes employees love the convenience of accessing their email via a smartphone, but smartphones are also easy to lose (as are laptops and USB drives). What if that device held sensitive information? Or provided a direct path into your corporate server? Again, adherence to proper security protocols is a paramount. All devices need to be protected with robust, regularly changing passwords, and all employees need to understand and adhere to a written "acceptable use" policy.
5. Lack of Cohesive IT Strategy - Most companies expand their IT infrastructure as their business grows. As such, they often find themselves with a patchwork system. Smart business owners see IT as a strategic business asset, not just a necessary evil. Investing in a coherent, well-designed IT infrastructure not only provides security and increased performance, but also does good things for your bottom line.
1. Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) - A company's electronic data is one of its most valuable and fragile assets. A shocking number of small businesses either rely on manual backups or just keep their fingers crossed. For maximum protection, a business needs not only an automated backup system (to minimize human error), but also a thoroughly tested and simple-to-implement disaster recovery plan in order to get the business back up and running.
2. Adherence to Security Protocols - Your car alarm won't give you much protection if you leave your keys on the hood. As with many security systems, the human factor is often one of the weakest links. Poor login management, shared passwords, and other shortcuts leave your computers and network open to threats. Educating your staff about the importance of adhering to security measures (and making sure they do) is of utmost importance.
3. Outdated Equipment - This especially applies to network infrastructure such as routers, switches, and firewalls. Just because a device still works, doesn't mean it is working securely. As security protocols have progressed, especially in the wireless space, manufacturers have had to increase performance to keep up with increasingly complicated encryption schemes. Running older hardware makes you an easier target (and therefore more attractive) for hackers.
4. Unsecured Mobile Devices - Yes employees love the convenience of accessing their email via a smartphone, but smartphones are also easy to lose (as are laptops and USB drives). What if that device held sensitive information? Or provided a direct path into your corporate server? Again, adherence to proper security protocols is a paramount. All devices need to be protected with robust, regularly changing passwords, and all employees need to understand and adhere to a written "acceptable use" policy.
5. Lack of Cohesive IT Strategy - Most companies expand their IT infrastructure as their business grows. As such, they often find themselves with a patchwork system. Smart business owners see IT as a strategic business asset, not just a necessary evil. Investing in a coherent, well-designed IT infrastructure not only provides security and increased performance, but also does good things for your bottom line.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Armando D'Accordo Inducted to Merrick Kiwanis!
Armando D'Accordo will be inducted to the Board of Directors of the Merrick Kiwanis Club next thursday September 22, 2011.
Armando is honored to accept this induction and is proud to participate in helping Kiwanis achieve it's vision. It is an organization dedicated to changing the world, one small step at a time. They do so by educating their children, supporting their community and involving themselves in all kinds of community services.
For more information about the Merrick Kiwanis, visit their website!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Happy that you still have Windows XP? So are the Hackers.
Despite being two generations old (an eternity in software time), Windows XP continues to be the most popular operating system in the world. According to security guru Mikko Hypponen, lead researcher at Finland's F-Secure, more than 50% of all machines connected to the Internet run XP.
Why so popular? Its successor Windows Vista, was an utter flop. As grumblings from users and tech media grew, the business community dug in their collective heels and stuck with the tried and true XP ( it didnt help that several popular business apps initially didn't run well or at all on Vista, either). Many of those that had already switched to Vista sough to return to XP (in fact, a Google search for "downgrade from Vista to XP" still returns about 130,000 hits). So, when Windows 7 finally rolled out a few years later, many users viewed it with health skepticism, even though it has since proven itself a worthy successor to XP.
Whatever the reasons for not upgrading, if you're still running XP, you may want to consider the following:
Hackers tend to write Malware with the intent of getting it onto the most computers possible. Because of its large installed user base and less-than-cutting-edge technology, machines running XP are a prime target.
Microsoft has a habit of outing its own security exploits. Hackers pay close attention to security fixes released by Microsoft and note what holes the patches are intended to fix, many of which are not widely known. This makes any machine that is not immediately patched and updated very vulnerable.
Windows 7 was built with multiple, robust layers of security. It will run on all but the most outdated of machines.
Even Microsoft thinks you'd be a fool to keep running XP. Though they've caved to users demands to continue extended support (i.e., patching) for XP through 2014, they went through the trouble to produce an hour-long video with some of their top engineers discussing the pitfalls of continuing to use XP. See the video via our home blog.
Why so popular? Its successor Windows Vista, was an utter flop. As grumblings from users and tech media grew, the business community dug in their collective heels and stuck with the tried and true XP ( it didnt help that several popular business apps initially didn't run well or at all on Vista, either). Many of those that had already switched to Vista sough to return to XP (in fact, a Google search for "downgrade from Vista to XP" still returns about 130,000 hits). So, when Windows 7 finally rolled out a few years later, many users viewed it with health skepticism, even though it has since proven itself a worthy successor to XP.
Whatever the reasons for not upgrading, if you're still running XP, you may want to consider the following:
Hackers tend to write Malware with the intent of getting it onto the most computers possible. Because of its large installed user base and less-than-cutting-edge technology, machines running XP are a prime target.
Microsoft has a habit of outing its own security exploits. Hackers pay close attention to security fixes released by Microsoft and note what holes the patches are intended to fix, many of which are not widely known. This makes any machine that is not immediately patched and updated very vulnerable.
Windows 7 was built with multiple, robust layers of security. It will run on all but the most outdated of machines.
Even Microsoft thinks you'd be a fool to keep running XP. Though they've caved to users demands to continue extended support (i.e., patching) for XP through 2014, they went through the trouble to produce an hour-long video with some of their top engineers discussing the pitfalls of continuing to use XP. See the video via our home blog.
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