Dangers Inside USB Drives

Stuxnet, a "groundbreaking" piece of malware. One of the most sophisticated malware attacks ever to hit the computer world. It was discovered in June and has spread to millions of machines around the world.

How does this relate to USB drives you ask yourself?

Stuxnet was the first digital worm to infiltrate into USB drives infecting the drive itself and every computer it is plugged into. They have been referred to being "misquitoes of the digital world -- small, portable, and everywhere." This form of malware targeted Windows based PCs "that managed large-scale industrial-control systems in manufacturing and utility firms." When it was first publicly seen in June, there was a "zero-day" vulneribility in Windows and was spread through Flash drives everywhere. A zero-day vulneribility literally means, the day on which a computer security vulnerability is exploited before security experts can address it.
According to Symantec researchers, by July 60% of all infected PCs were located in Iran which was clearly the hardest hit of all. In August, Microsoft issued an emergency update to patch the bug.

Over time we have all learned the dangers of clicking on e-mails from strangers and to be cautious of how important it is to keep your passwords secure. USB drives have now become another danger to be warned about. Being that they are portable drives and are so small and easy to get around, it is easier for types of Malware like this to be transferred. Think twice about who's or what flash drive you are plugging into your computer. It is human nature to find a flash drive and want to plug it into a computer to find out what information is on it.

We ask you to be cautious, not to trade USB sticks with anyone, dont pick up any USB sticks off the street or any unknown USBs lying around and plug them into your machine. Lets try to win the battle against the dangers of USB drives.

Read more on Computer World and on Slate.

Important Tips When Establishing Search Engine Marketing

Often it is difficult for small business owners to market their companies online. It can be expensive to purchase high-traffic keywords and inexpensives ones don't produce desired results. This process of establishing search engine marketing can be overwhelming, so here are some tips on how to avoid common mistakes.

1. Be mindful of geography. Areas out of reach (such as Canada, Alaska and Hawaii) are often immediately included, when it isn’t likely the business could service these areas.
2. Opt out of advertising on websites that are partnered with search engines. These often receive less traffic and are also less promising.
3. Setting your campaign to broad match will allow your ads to correspond with unrelated searches. Setting it to exact match will be more effective when starting out, and then with time, it can be appropriately configured for broad match.
4. Directing all traffic to the home page of your website is also not the most effective means. If searchers are looking for something specific and aren’t led to the correct page immediately, they may not continue to find what they are looking for.
5. Usually iPhone searches are not promising for many businesses. The companies that profit from it are generally retailers and service providers.

To read even more tips on what mistakes to avoid, read this article from 360 Partners. CMIT is also hosting a webinar on search engine marketing. It will be held on Thursday, October 28 at 1pm Eastern Time. Click here to register.

Don’t forget to enter our Tech Makeover Contest! If you have an IT horror story to tell, your small business could win a $75,000 makeover courtesy of Dell, Microsoft, and CMIT Solutions! Click here to enter!

Be Careful What Information You Disclose On Facebook

Statistics have shown that many people do not protect their Facebook page by aptly using the security and privacy settings. Besides these limitations, it is essential to exclude things that you want withheld from employers and colleagues. For instance, inappropriate pictures should be omitted.

Not only is it crucial to keep your Facebook account secure, there is certain information that should not be mentioned on the popular social network. A popular example is to not post when you are going away on vacation, which leaves an open opportunity for burglars. This is especially true if your page can be viewed by anyone on Facebook.

Personal information that may be appealing to identity thieves should also remain unlisted. This includes your date of birth, as well as the birthdates for your children. Furthermore, it seems relatively clear that your address, for instance, shouldn’t be posted. Other bits of information that should be left out are your mother’s maiden name, or the name of your first pet. These are very often the security questions on a variety of websites.

Would you want everyone to see your phone number, potential password clues, or incriminating photos? The general rule is to only list information that you wouldn’t mind the general public seeing. Keep this in mind when creating or editing your Facebook profile.

To learn more, read this article from Yahoo! Finance.

CMIT Solutions at NY XPO for Business

We are proud to be a part of the largest business networking event in the northeast once again this year! As a friend of CMIT Solutions, we are excited to forward you this opportunity to pre-register for the 5th Annual NY Xpo for Business and receive free admission on our behalf (regular on-site registration fee is $10). There are over 400 exhibits and many educational seminars at the event. We hope to see you there as our guest and please stop by to see us in booth #315.

Please note: Pre Registration will not only save you the $10 fee; it will save you a lot of time waiting in line!

General Show Information: http://www.eventmanagement.org/newyork/hours.php

P.S. Be sure to stop by our booth for information, raffle prizes and a chance to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card. Also remember to tell your friends and colleagues about our $75,000 makeover campaign. If they have a horror story, they could win big! http://www.cmitsolutions.com/techmakeover

Facebook CEO Announces New Features

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday several new features that the popular social network will be unveiling. The first is called Download Your Information, which lets each Facebook user download anything they have ever done on the site, including photos and wall posts. A second tool keeps track of your application usage and makes it simple to delete them. The final feature however is very exciting to Facebook users. Each user will have the ability to create groups—for instance, colleagues or family. If you upload a video of your family vacation, you can set it so only your relatives see it---and not anyone else. This increases the level of control you have over who sees your profile and information. In addition to this, group chats will be available, supplementing the one-on-one instant messaging that already exists.

The only hesitation that comes with this new Group feature, is that it exists similarly to being tagged in a photo. If someone invites you to a group, you are automatically a member until you opt-out. Thus you can become a member of a group under your own control, but also because someone else has invited you to. Many are saying that Group invitations should be established like a friend request—where you have the option to approve it before you are a member.

To read more about these features, visit Computer World.

President Armando D'Accordo To Speak At Two Events This Thursday

CMIT of South Nassau President Armando D'Accordo will be speaking at two events in New York City this Thursday, October 7, 2010.

Armando will first be presenting the CMIT Solutions concept at a FranNet NYC hosted event on Thursday morning. Several companies will help inform future entrepreneurs about their path to success. The event will be located at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel, 371 7th Avenue in Mid-Town. For more information on this event, visit http://events.linkedin.com/Meet-Franchisor-Workshop/pub/404856.

Armando will also be speaking at the next FENG New York meeting on Thursday evening. The topic is “Alternative Career Options—The Franchising Industry”. The main topic of discussion is about making the transition from corporate life to business ownership.

Both events are sure to be informative to those pursuing a career as a future franchise owner.

Organizing Your Data Using Windows 7 Libraries

One of the useful features of Windows 7 is the inclusion of libraries, which are an organized way to sort all your data. The four default libraries that are included with your computer are Documents, Pictures, Music, and Video. Libraries appear to work like folders, and still you can create sub-folders within them. However, the difference here is that within a particular library, you can store information from your desktop, for instance, without it leaving the desktop. Now you only need to search in your library for a certain file. The same could be done with an external hard drive or flash drive. The “Include in Library” feature permits users to place all their data in one location, despite where else you have it stored.

Once created, the files in a library can then be arranged by day, month, tags, and more. This sorting ability makes it simpler to locate the data you are looking for. To read more about using libraries, visit the Home Office Blog and this blog post from MakeUseOf.

Beware of Fake Security Software

Windows users should be aware of potential scareware that could affect their computers. Scareware is essentially a scam in which the user is tricked into purchasing something due to fear or anxiety. These tactics are targeted at Internet users, who are usually fearful of viruses or similar attacks. This allows them to be duped into purchasing a fake security update.

Generally, when users visit a site that may contain security threats, they are presented with a warning and asked if they want to continue. However, this type of threat will also suggest that users download a form of a security update. Once this is clicked, fake software will immediately be downloaded. Because of this, frequent pop-ups will occur saying that anti-malware software needs to be purchased. The software can be deemed useless and costs around $40 or $50. This is the ultimate goal and why the fake security software industry is booming. Even those who are very cautious may be pulled into this false security scheme, or something similar, regardless of your browser. Since viruses and hackers may seem unavoidable, it is crucial to be well-informed before you click anything.

To read the complete article, visit Computer World.