New Phishing Scam Targets Your Amazon Account

McAfee researchers have discovered a new version of the 16Shop phishing kit in use by hackers around the world. According to the latest research, there are now more than 200 URLs currently being used by hackers to collect login information from Amazon customers. The methodology the hackers are using is simple. The hackers craft an email that appears to come from Amazon that indicates a problem with the user's account.

Ironically, most of the emails claim that an unauthorized login was attempted on the user's account and the email recommends that the user log in immediately to check and make sure nothing has been tampered with.

The email "helpfully" includes a link that appears to point to an Amazon login page, but of course, it's actually one of the aforementioned hacker-controlled URLs.  If a user enters their login credentials, they're simply handing those details to the hackers. They can then log into the user's account at their leisure, make any changes they like, and order products or steal data at will.

16Shop is a sophisticated product that has been used in a variety of ways.  A previous variant was discovered in late 2018, which targeted Apple users via emails that contained a PDF attachment.  The PDF was poisoned, of course. If the links it contained were clicked on, they would direct the recipient of the email to a URL controlled by the hackers. That URL would ask for the recipient's Apple account information, including payment card details.

These kinds of attacks are notoriously difficult to stop.  Vigilance and mindfulness are the keys to keep from being taken in.  A good policy to adopt is simply this:  Any time you get an email that appears to come from a company, don't click the link.  Open a browser tab yourself and manually type the address in.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you wish to make sure that your business and client information are secured various kinds of scams and other online threats today.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
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Cities Served:
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IP Camera Hacking Attempts Are Rising

Recently, Trend Micro published some statistics that just about everyone should find disturbing.  According to their latest statistics, the security company has blocked more than five million cyber-attacks against IP cameras, just in the past five months. Worse, IP cameras don't tend to have great security in place to begin with, making it relatively easy for hackers to control them remotely.
IP cameras send video directly to the internet as it is captured, and are typically used for surveillance. They're among the vast crop of 'low hanging fruit' of web-connected devices these days.  The company found that of the attacks, fully 75 percent relied on simple brute-force tactics.

Oscar Chang, of Trend Micro, had this to say about the findings:

"More verticals are seeking connected, AI-powered video surveillance applications, causing a clear paradigm shift from a relatively closed-off network to a more interconnected network operated heavily by cloud-based technologies.  Due to this shift in the landscape, manufacturers and users must pay attention to the security of these IoT devices. While the industry has known about cyber-risks, manufacturers have been unable to properly address the risk without knowing the root cause and attack methods."

Those are wise words. There is explosive growth of the number of smart devices in recent years, and hackers have gleefully appointed them by the tens of thousands and turned them into botnet armies for hire. Given those circumstances, one would think that every smart device manufacturer would make increased security of the devices they sell a top priority.

To date, however, that simply hasn't been the case.  Until that changes, we can expect to see the numbers Trend Micro and other security companies report increase until we finally reach a tipping point.

The sad thing is, it doesn't have to come to that.  If the industry were to start getting serious about IoT security and standards put in place, we could, at the very least, diminish the magnitude of the problem.  At present, that appears unlikely.

If you want to make sure that your computers and networks are safe from hacking attempts, let our IT experts at SpartanTec, Inc. help you.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Florida City Paid Big Bucks To Hackers Using Ransomware

The city of Riviera Beach, Florida is the latest high-profile victim of a ransomware attack.

Recently, the city council voted to pay more than $600,000 to a hacking group to regain access to data that had been locked and encrypted via ransomware nearly a month ago.  That is in addition to the $941,000 the city will be paying for new computers.

An investigation into the hack revealed that the trouble began when a Riviera Beach police department employee opened an email from an unrecognized, un-trusted sender.  That's all it took to bring the entire city government network to its knees. Since May 29th, all city services have been suspended except for 911 services, which have been able to continue in limited fashion.

The city council didn't initially plan to pay the hackers off.  Their first move was to vote to spend the money to get new computers and rebuild their IT infrastructure.  Since that time, however, the city's IT staff has been unable to decrypt the files on their own.  In light of the lack of progress, the city council reconvened and voted 5-0 to pay 65 Bitcoins to the hackers (which amounts to a little over $600,00 USD at the time this piece was written).

Riviera Beach, a suburb north of Palm Beach, Florida, isn't the only local government to fall victim to hacking groups or ransomware attacks.  Earlier this year, officials in Jackson County, Georgia paid more than $400,000 to regain access to their files.   To date, the highest ransom paid to hackers employing this tactic was $1.14 million USD, paid by South Korean web hosting firm Internet Nayana.

Last year was a record-setting year for the number of successful hacks.  This year is on track to beat it by a wide margin.  Your company could be next.

Do you want to know if your company is at risk? Call SpartanTec, Inc. now.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Does Your Business Lack Digital Policy?

You have to take risks if you want to succeed in business. However, you shouldn’t disregard the existence of risk and the importance of managed IT services especially if you are running a business online. You have to make a realistic, authentic evaluation of the risk that comes with any business decision, considering the benefits and determining the best action to take to reduce the risk while maximizing the advantages.

Never Confuse Easy With Risk Free

The problem is that several businesses simply hope for the best to happen in all things concerning the digital world. After all, it’s become so simple to publish a post or create an online store that it also simple to assume that the risk of failing to get the attention of potential customers accounts for the biggest concern in the digital realm. But this is actually a good example of recklessness.

Calculate Your Risk

This does not mean that businesses have to stick to pens and never make the most out of what the internet world can offer. What this means is that companies must be intentional when it comes to taking on risks. You have to understand what your possible gains and losses are and how much risk you can tolerate.

Big Ignorance of Big Risks

Now everything is all well and good when it comes to theory but what about in real life situations? A lot of people don’t really know. It is not that they have no idea what they’re doing. It’s simply that many of the biggest risks are those that rarely occur to most people.

Website Accessibility

Were you aware that Americans With Disabilities Act or ADA mandates that websites should be accessible by those who are hearing and visually impaired? Therefore, all the images in your website must be linked with alt text that clearly describes the images’ content to render it accessible to those who are visually impaired and are utilizing screen readers. Is your website doing this?

Data Privacy

In the U.S., there are state and federal laws about the collection, use, as well as utilization and storage of customer data. Firms that operate globally should comply with the privacy rules for every country where they do business.

Data Transfer

Some nations do not allow the data of their citizens to be transferred to servers that are outside the national borders. If you are operating a cloud service, for instance, you may be in violation if you do not have a separate server that is physical situation in every country where you are doing business in.

Data Security

Businesses also need to protect the information of their customers. That is important when it comes to healthcare and payment processing. For instance, rules exist for limiting the payment information that companies can store, where it can be stored, who can access it and so on. Additionally, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) demands that you ensure that there’s no unpermitted access to the medical information of patients.

SpartanTec Inc. offers a comprehensive data backup as well as disaster recovery for companies. You no longer have to worry about what may happen to your firm. With our innovative options for Disaster Recovery, we can help protect the things you cannot control. You no longer have to deal with the stress associated with planning unforeseen disasters that may destroy your business. We will lower downtime in case a disaster strikes using practical methods for Recovery and Backup.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let us handle all of your Disaster Recovery and Data Backup concerns.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Hackers Placing Hidden, Malicious Code In Media

If you're not familiar with the term, 'Steganography' is the term used to describe the act of hiding code in images and video.  It's a creative strategy that allows hackers to slip past even the most robust defenses. Recently, researchers at Kaspersky have discovered evidence of a novel approach to using steganographic techniques. They were apparently developed by a group well-known for their innovation.

Platinum is an advanced, persistent threat group that security researchers around the globe have been tracking since 2012.  The group has made headlines more than once for their creativity and for specifically targeting government, military, and diplomatic targets. What's interesting about Platinum's approach is that they've managed to embed malicious code into what appears to be legitimate text.

The Kaspersky researchers happened across it almost by mistake, when they were tracking what they first believed to be two separate campaigns.  The first being a back door that was implemented as a .DLL file that also worked as a WinSock Nameservice Provider (which is how it was able to maintain persistence).  In the second, PowerShell scripts were being used to fingerprint systems for the purpose of basic data theft.

The Kaspersky team connected the dots and reached the conclusion that rather than being two separate campaigns, the backdoor disguised as a .DLL is actually the second stage in one elaborate attack. Although what Platinum's ultimate purpose might be remains unknown at this time.

The researchers had this to say about their recent discovery: 

"A couple of years ago, we predicted that more and more APT and malware developers would use steganography, and here is proof:  the actors used two interesting steganography techniques in this APT...one more interesting detail is that the actors decided to implement the utilities they need as one huge set - this reminds us of the framework-based architecture that is becoming more and more popular."

Unless you're working in a governmental or military facility, you're unlikely to be on Platinum's radar. Even if you're not, their strategies will no doubt filter out to the global community of hackers in due time.  Stay vigilant.

Be sure your business is safe and protected against online threats. Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let us help you find out if your data is at risk and what we can do to help. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Old Drivers Could Cause WiFi Issues After Windows 10 Update

Does your computer contain a Qualcomm wireless network adapter?  If so, be aware that Microsoft is warning you that your computer system may suffer a sporadic loss of Wi-Fi connectivity after installing the Windows 10 update.

The update was released in May 2019, stemming from an issue with out-of-date network drivers.
If you haven't yet installed the May 2019 update and you want to, you'll need to jump through an extra hoop by going to device's manufacturer and downloading the latest Wi-Fi driver. Note that you will not be able to install the May 2019 Windows 10 update without taking this step.

According to the official Microsoft bulletin on the matter: "To safeguard your upgrade experience, we have applied a hold on devices with this Qualcomm driver from being offered Windows 10, 1903, until the updated driver is installed."

Here's another thing to bear in mind about the May 2019 Windows 10 update.  Once it is installed, you will start seeing alerts in the form of pop-up boxes any time you connect to Wi-Fi networks that are secured with TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) or WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy).  These are older protocols with several known, serious security flaws.

According to Microsoft, "In a future release, any connection to a Wi-Fi network using these old ciphers will be disallowed. Wi-Fi routers should be updated to use AES ciphers, available with WPA2 or WPA3."

In other words, the end is nigh for any technology that uses TKIP or WEP protocols for Wi-Fi connections.  If that's what you've got, it's time to upgrade your equipment.

Overall, most technology experts regard this as a good move.  Sure, it comes across as a bit heavy handed, but as past experience has shown, if Microsoft didn't take a rather aggressive step like this, nothing would change.  Kudos to Microsoft!

Do you want to make sure that your network is safe from all kinds of online threat? Call SpartanTec, Inc. now.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Tips For Preventing, Detecting, and Fighting Identity Theft

A victim of identity theft spends about 600 hours trying to clear their identity. This means obtaining affidavits and reports that prove the theft, finding out what has been compromised, and working to retrieve their identity. That is a lot of time to spend on a crime that you have fallen victim to. Unfortunately, you cannot protect yourself 100% against identity theft. Fortunately, there are ways for you to reduce your risk by acting right away when your personal information has been compromised. So how do you improve your information security?

Place Fraud Alert

Place a fraud alert on your credit report by getting in touch with three credit bureaus. A fraud alert will last from 90 days to seven years and will notify businesses to take additional steps to confirm your identity once actions are taken on your credit.

Credit Report Security Freeze

A security freeze goes a step further than a fraud alert as it requires a PIN or password before a company can check your credit report. Compared to a fraud alert, there is a fee to place a security freeze on your credit report unless you are already a victim of identity theft.

Get Your Free Credit Reports

Every year, you are entitled to a single free credit report from every one of the three credit bureaus. By getting one of these reports once every four months, you could monitor your credit throughout the year. The only disadvantage is that you could only obtain one report from the bureau at a time. Therefore, when the identity theft does not appear on all three of the reports, you may miss it for a year.

Purchase Credit Reports

If you have used up your annual credit reports, you could always buy one for a minimum of $11 (Equifax) or all three for a minimum of $15 from TrueCredit.com. You might be able to obtain a free credit report when you subscribe to a credit monitoring service. Be sure that you cancel the credit monitoring service before the trial is up so that you won’t get charged.

Check Your Accounts Online

When your bank lets you view your accounts online, then sign up. Once done, log in so you can check your account on a regular basis to ensure that there are no unauthorized charges were made on your account. Protect your login information. Avoid writing it down and don’t tell your log in details to anyone.

Enrol In Credit Monitoring

Although it is not recommended due to the high costs compared to the alternatives, credit monitoring is one good way of detecting identity theft. Compare to the cost of a few credit monitoring services to the price of ordering your credit report, and you will find that purchasing a few credit reports a year could be cheaper. If you decide to enrol in a credit monitoring program, be sure to do your research well.

Keep Your Social Security Number Safe

Your social security number could be lethal to your credit if this sensitive information gets in the wrong hands. Don’t carry our social security card in your wallet. Do not write the number down. Don’t forget to be cautious especially when you are giving your number to a customer service representative.

Get Your Check Order

Another method for thieves to take your identity is through stolen checks. With your checking and routing account number, a thief could make new checks and use them to buy things. If you order new checks, get them from the bank instead of having it mailed to your house.

Stop Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers

All of those preapproved credit card offers contain some of your personal information on them. Thieves are known to utilize these offers to obtain credit cards on the name of the victim. Shred all the credit card offers before you throw them away. Or opt out immediately so you can stop them right away.

Pay Your Bills Online

When you mail bills, you are making it easy for thieves to steal your identity. Several banks now offer online bill pay. This is a much better alternative to sending your bills from an unsecured post office box.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you want to make sure that your personal information are secure from various kinds of online threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto