Instant Messenger Guidelines

Instant messenger is certainly a quick way to communicate with family and friends, does it fit in at the office? It could certainly serve as an alternative to video conferencing, since it is a way for people in various locations to connect with one another. The conversation box or chatroom may also seem simpler than sorting through your inbox. With any type of social tool on the web, there are always a few guidelines to be mindful of.

• Instant messages are not the place to release private information. Anybody participating has the ability to save or print the conversation.

• Instant messenger accounts are commonly hacked and can send malicious messages to your contact list. Keep this in mind and like always, don’t click on a link unless you can verify the source.

• Keep your messages brief and direct, and don’t use it as a substitute for actual conversation. With the rise of email, IM’s and social networks, don’t forget to use the phone as a means of quick communication!

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FBI ATM Beneficiary Email Scam

This particular email scam has been around since 2008 and is still circulating. It claims to come from Robert Mueller III, the Director of the FBI. Mueller does actually hold this position, which makes the scam look more reputable. The content of the email essentially wants you to contact the “ATM Card Center” and provide them with personal information, in order to obtain your missing money ($11 million in fact). Both the content and grammar of the message seem suspicious. At the end of the email, Mueller warns you to ignore impostors and only contact the aforementioned ATM Card Center. Please remember that the FBI will never contact you through email and to never distribute personal information to unverified sources.

Clips of the message are shown below.

Suggested 2011 Resolutions For Our Clients

CMIT has compiled a list of the top technology resolutions you should be following in 2011. These tips will help ensure that your computers and data are safe!

I promise to...

• BACK UP MY DATA!

• Keep my Windows XP/Vista/Win7 operating system up-to-date by doing critical online updates and security patches.

• Install and keep a quality anti-virus product current via regular online updates.

• Use the Windows firewall or equivalent software to protect my PC from intrusion.

• BACK UP MY DATA onsite and offsite!

• Avoid the temptation to download "free" software, games, screen savers, and other "too good to be true" offers unless 150% sure of the source.

• Avoid peer-to-peer media sharing activity. (Frostwire, Kazaa, etc.)

• Avoid opening email messages and emailed file attachments from unknown senders.
  

• Look before I click. (Read the link; if it has .exe in it, then don't click it. Point at the link and look at lower left side of browser. If it is not the site it claims to be, don't click it!)

• Change your passwords; don't make them obvious and don't write them on a sticky on the fridge.

• Consider a proactive, automated approach to PC and network maintenance.

• Sign up for QuickTips and encourage your friends to do the same! Click here to sign up!
  

• Follow CMIT on Twitter, Blogger, or Facebook to stay well informed.

• Set up an automated, encrypted backup system that BACKS UP MY DATA both onsite and offsite.

We hope that you find these tips helpful and continue to practice them throughout the year!

Technology Tips For 2011

Now that a new year is upon us, it's a good time to make some changes with your technology that might have been put off in the past. This includes learning about new trends while also updating the technology and policies you already have.

For instance, if your company needs to implement a better security strategy, it’s best to put it into place now before something bad happens. Not only will your data be safe, but you can rest assured that your business is being protected. Similarly, it’s best to always keep your private information safe on all your accounts. This means changing your passwords as a defense against hackers. Ideally, this should be done every few months are so.

If your business is in need of it, think about upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010. It allows for a lot of collaborative and online activities. Cloud computing is also another trend to keep in mind. In a September post, we discussed different options for cloud computing. Click here to revisit it.

One last suggestion is to establish a mobile acceptable use policy. Since smartphones are increasingly becoming part of every business, it is important to ensure that employees are being productive. If you need assistance creating a mobile policy or want to learn more about any of these suggestions, give CMIT a call!

Cyberattacks In 2011

While a common type of cyberattack will often be through phishing scams (email), McAfee has made predictions of what will occur in the upcoming year. With the current trends of smartphones and social networks, these are increasingly becoming a target of malicious attacks. Popular targets will include:

Location Tools, such as Foursquare and Facebook Places: Hackers can then easily observe your interests, and create an attack founded upon this information.

Social Networks, such as Facebook and Twitter: Similarly, hackers can view a lot of information about you and better target their scams.

URL Shorteners, such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com: This hides the real name of the link so users don’t actually know what they are clicking.

Smartphones: All mobile devices are subject to an increased cyberattacks due to their growing popularity.

Mac OS: Since Apple products are becoming more popular, more viruses may be geared to their operating systems now.

This is a reminder that the latest technology trends are going to be subject to malware attacks in the future. If you have any questions about your current virus protection, feel free to contact CMIT. Read the full article from CNN here.

Are You Being Proactive About Virus Protection?

There is a new virus making the rounds that infects PCs and infiltrates your mail system. If you get this message, you need to change your email password and also scan your PC for infections. (It is actually a trojan and is not always easily detectable with standard virus software.) Please note that this is not the only virus of its kind, just the latest. Here is an overview of what happens, and how you can infect all your friends.

1. You get this trojan from an email or a website and be unaware that it has even infected your computer.
   
2. The infection sends emails to your contact list (up to 10 people at a time). So, it appears they have received an email from you that contains a holiday greeting.
   
3. In the message is the link (shown at the bottom of this post). Since it has the word Christmas in it, many are led to believe it is an e-card.
   
4. After clicking the link, they are redirected to a website selling Viagra that is infected. If their PC does not have excellent virus protection, it will infect it too.
   

In order to ensure that your computer is safe from any infection, there are a couple things you can do. Always be sure to scan your PCs for virus and spyware infections before you do anything else on your computer. Serious infections are learning to hide from your virus software. Some viruses send emails, others steal passwords and credit card information, and others slow the PC down while causing strange error messages. We have also seen some PCs of late that appear to have hardware or operating system corruption. Standard virus and spyware scans do not reveal anything, but specialized software that finds trojans and rootkits discover the real issue. So please be proactive: scan for viruses and/or call your computer support expert to be sure your PCs are clean and optimized.

What the faulty link says:

htt:/dragonucleon.perso.sfr.fr/christmas.php?holiday

How to Complete a Data Security Audit

Companies gather new data on a daily basis, and sometimes this information is private and needs to be kept secure. This can include Social Security and credit card numbers, so it is also important to keep track of who has access to this information. Here we have outlined the best practices to make sure that you are keeping your data safe, which is considered a data security audit.

WHO has access to private information in your company? Is it possible for every employee to get a hold of the data? What information can vendors or institutions (banks, contractors) retrieve?

WHAT type of data are you storing? Is it login info and passwords? Is it credit card information? Classifying and categorizing your data is a major way to evaluate if it is protected.

WHERE is your data stored? Be mindful of data that is stored both physically and electronically. Storage locations include email attachments, employee cell phones, home offices, file cabinets, and more. We are constantly sending data through various forms of technology so it is important to remember this.

HOW does data enter, travel through, and leave your company? Many different people might be sending you data, from customers to financial institutions. Is information gathered through a secure web form or by an email message? This is a major way to evaluate how secure your sensitive information is.

WHY is a data security audit necessary? Protecting data is a major responsibility of any business and conducting this audit will ensure that your business is partaking in security practices.

If you need further assistance about how to conduct a data audit, feel free to contact CMIT!